Wrexham are arguably the footballing story of the decade, going from National League to the Championship in the space of a few years, and under the most unlikely owners in Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
When Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over Wrexham in 2021, many thought it was a joke. Many assumed that the pair would be there for a bit, realise they didn’t know what they were doing, and quickly move on.
Four years later and they’ve overseen three-straight promotions. The club is now a globally-known one thanks to the owners, the success on the pitch, and the success of the Welcome to Wrexham docuseries.
Last season, Wrexham were promoted to the Championship after finishing 2nd in League One under Phil Parkinson. Since then, though, there’s been growing speculation that Reynolds and McElhenney might well cash in whilst the going is good.
In fact, there have been reports that Wrexham could sell a stake worth £350million at some point soon, with fans wondering whether Reynolds and McElhenney will realistically be around for that much longer, given what would be a monumental return on investments if they sell up now.
Here we look at the winners and losers if Reynolds and McElhenney sell Wrexham in 2025…
Winners if Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney sell Wrexham
Wrexham’s rivals
With great success comes great rivalries. Wrexham have become one of the Football League’s more unpopular teams, with many fans liking to pin the club’s success purely on money and publicity and so on.
Of course, that’s not the case. But if Reynolds and McElhenney were to sell up then there’d be a lot of rival fans in the Football League who’d take positively to the news, as they’d expect it to bring an end to this current fairy-tale story and in turn, Wrexham’s success.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
Following promotion to the Championship, it was suggested that Wrexham now has a club valuation of £150million. It ranks the Dragons among the top 100 most valuable football clubs in the world, though there’s not been an official valuation of the club as such.
Reynolds and McElhenney completed their Wrexham takeover in 2021 and for just £2million. If the club is now worth £150million then that would mark a 7400% increase. More than double that if the pair sell a stake for £350million.
Needless to say, the biggest winners of a possibly Wrexham sale are the two who’d stand to make an absolute fortune in doing so.
Losers if Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney sell Wrexham
Phil Parkinson
Parkinson is an old school manager. He’s had his success in the game and he’s also had some tough spells as a manager. But it’s worked at the Racecourse because he’s been allowed to handle all footballing decisions.
It’s not like a club and an ownership structure where those with no actual footballing knowledge or experience try to call the shots. And if Reynolds and McElhenney were to sell up then there’s no guarantee that the next owner handles the club in the same way that the Hollywood pair do.
Parkinson has hailed Reynolds and McElhenney on a number of occasions. He himself would surely be wary about new owners coming in, given how so many teams in the Football League have struggled with difficult owners.
The EFL
The Championship and indeed the English Football League has grown in popularity, stature, and quality over the last several years. Rapidly so as well with the Championship now a breeding ground for some of the best young players in England.
For the EFL, having Wrexham in its top league brings an added degree of publicity. It’s understood that more than 5,000 US households have a subscription to watch Wrexham, and that number will only grow as the club continues on their incredible rise.
But if the Dragons are sold on, it’ll likely see US interest drop off significantly as there’ll no longer be that added exposure for the EFL, who surely view the Wrexham story and their US pull as a boost to their own popularity around the world.