Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have improved Wrexham a great deal, but the next step they should take at the club is clear.
Wrexham have achieved greatness since Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds took the reigns back in February 2021.
They have won back-to-back promotions and a third in 2024/25 would see them become the first side in history to achieve said feat when starting in the National League or higher.
Wrexham face Stockport County on Saturday and anything other than a defeat will see them, temporarily at least, climb back into the automatic promotion places.
However, as the club continues to grow and move up divisions, it’s clear McElhenney and Reynolds need to start doing one thing.
- READ MORE: Wrexham star surprisingly named as one of League One’s best players, it’s not who you think
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have sold just three Wrexham players
Back in April 2024, Reynolds spoke about building a sustainable model that would allow Wrexham to sustain itself after they are gone.
He said: “One of our great mission statements and – this is something that is still a huge target – is to create a sustainable model for a sports club like this and allow it to support itself long after we’re dead and gone.”
That is a great goal to have and should please Wrexham fans, who have been let down by owners in the past.
However, if Rob and Ryan are to make the Red Dragons sustainable, they will need to actually start selling some of their stars.
The duo have overseen seven different winter and summer transfer windows since they bought the club but, as per Transfermarkt, James Jones, who joined Burton Albion in the winter of 2025, Tyler French, and Dior Angus are the only players to ever be sold by the club for some sort of transfer fee, with every other exit a loan or free.
It’s clear that while Rob and Ryan have proven they are more than happy to fund the club, Wrexham must start looking at making money from player sales.
This will be especially crucial when/if they reach the Championship and they have to start adhering to the to Profitability and Sustainability rules in place in the second tier and Premier League.
Aside from complying with PSR, the sale of players for some sort of fee would also likely help improve their transfer budget.
Which players could Wrexham sell in summer
Furthermore, no matter if Wrexham win promotion or not this term, their squad, especially the striker department, is in need of an overhaul.
Phil Parkinson already has seven senior strikers and apart from Modou Faal and January signing Sam Smith, they are all 30 or above.
And with Steven Fletcher the exception, they are all under contract beyond the 2024/25 season.
Ollie Palmer is now 33 and has not played the club’s last nine league games, perhaps suggesting a summer sale would be best.
Aside from Palmer, there are players like Luke Bolton and Will Boyle who have seen so little game time this term but their contracts mean Wrexham can still fetch a transfer fee for them in the summer.
It’s easy to think of the Red Dragons as a team with very deep pockets that can sign who they want because, especially in the National League, they kind of were.
But if Rob and Ryan want to make Wrexham sustainable, they need to start looking at how they can make some money from transfers on a consistent basis.
That is not something fans will like, but it is the reality of football and will need to become more common in Wales.