Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s financial power has helped Wrexham immensely in the last several years.
When the duo took over the club in 2021, they wasted no time in splashing the cash, signing Paul Mullin to a long-term contract in the National League after he had just won promotion to League One.
Ollie Palmer followed in January of 2021/22 for a fee believed to be somewhere in the region of £300,000.
The likes of Elliot Lee and more arrived at Wrexham when they were still in the fifth tier of English football as well, with it clear they were already building a squad capable of competing in League One.
The spending has continued into this season as well, with two record signings made in August followed by another in January.
Now, the power of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney might be enough to see the Red Dragons keep hold of an in-form player.
Dundee United can’t compete with Wrexham for Sam Dalby contact
The man in question is Sam Dalby, who has been dominating the Scottish Premier League since moving to Dundee United on loan in the 2024 summer window.
The striker has found the back of the net a very impressive 11 times in the league since moving to Scotland.
But his future remains up in the air given he now has less than six months left to run on his deal.
Wrexham offered Dalby a new contract prior to the January transfer window opening but, as of now, he’s yet to accept.
Even if he does turn the Red Dragons down, however, it seems unlikely Dundee United will be able to match their offer.
As per The Courier, manager Jim Goodwin confirmed they simply can’t compete with Wrexham when it comes to a contract for the striker.
He said: “I am led to believe that Wrexham have made him a very good offer and, financially, we couldn’t compete with that, with the budget and investment they have.
“Our focus – and Sam’s focus – is on him having a good end to the season. Of course, we will discuss his future with him, but I don’t want there to be any distractions or him thinking we are putting him under unnecessary pressure.
“We want him to enjoy his football and what will be, will be in the summer.
“We are desperate to keep him, and Sam is loving life up in Scotland. He knows how much we rate him at the club and his game is suited to the Premiership. He has already tried the lower leagues in England.”
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What Sam Dalby said about his future
Dalby commented on his future toward the end of January and confirmed he was happy to be staying at Dundee United.
He said: “I’m just trying to take it game by game and just help my team out. Obviously, Dundee United’s a great place to be and I’m really happy here.
“To be honest, I would say I’ll not think about it until the end of the season, really, once the season’s finished. We’re in a good position in the league and I just want to focus game by game to help my team and try and stay up the table.
“The fans have welcomed me with open arms and the staff and fans and all the players have been really good to me.”
A big decision for the player now lies ahead as should Dalby accept Wrexham’s contract offer, it may still be hard for him to get a game given the plethora of options already available to Parkinson.
However, a new deal could allow the Red Dragons to make a profit on him, rather than losing him for free as they are currently set to do.