Wrexham go into the Championship as complete unknowns, having not played in the second tier for more than 40 years. Already, many are tipping them to struggle.
Promotions from the National League, League Two, and League One are one thing. But surviving in the Championship is going to prove extremely difficult for Wrexham let alone earning what would be an unthinkable fourth-straight promotion under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Many outsiders are tipping them to struggle next season. But insiders are optimistic. Lee Trundle says Wrexham can compete in the Championship, whilst last season’s Player of the Year Ollie Rathbone thinks Wrexham can cause some upsets.
And whilst McElhenney has played down Wrexham consolidating in the Championship, eyeing up the big time instead. There’s no doubting that Championship survival next season would be a huge achievement for Wrexham, and they’ve already been handed two huge boosts where that’s regarded.
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Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday doomed to struggle in the Championship
Wrexham are in a very positive and stable financial position. But that can’t be said for two of their Championship rivals in Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday, who are both under lengthy embargoes.
The English Football League have placed the two Yorkshire clubs under transfer embargoes stretching until 2027, meaning neither side can pay transfer fees for new players, limiting them to free agents.
It was recently confirmed that Hull City have been placed under an embargo, whilst Sheffield Wednesday have been under the same embargo for a few more weeks, with multiple sanctions looming over them too.
Indeed, the situation at Hillsborough looks particularly perilous. The Sheffield Wednesday players haven’t been paid and they’re gearing up to walk out, with several having handed in their notices as the situation goes from bad to worse.
Wrexham can capitalise on Hull and Wednesday’s misfortune in multiple ways
It’s never nice to see clubs struggle like this. But as football has become a business, Wrexham and many others may look to capitalise on their rivals’ misfortunes, and they can do so in multiple ways.
First off, with Hull and Wednesday looking set for minimal summer transfer business, and a potential exodus of the first-team, it could condemn both teams to really struggle in the Championship next season.
Only three teams are relegated from the Championship and it looks like Hull and definitely Sheffield Wednesday have reserved those two spots already, potentially narrowing down the amount of teams that Wrexham need to out-point to stay in the league.
On top of that, the Dragons could raid both clubs for new players. We’re already seeing that happen with Wrexham linked with Josh Windass and Barry Bannan at Sheffield Wednesday, who could both be available for nothing.
Hull may also have a lot of players of interest to the Dragons this summer, with Phil Parkinson looking to add definite Championship quality and experience to his ranks.