Wrexham is halfway through its improbable Journey towards the Premier League.
Next stop: League One.
After a successful pre-season tour to the west coast of the USA, the Welsh club Co-owner is actor Ryan Reynolds The domestic season begins on Saturday with a home game against Wycombe Wanderers in the third English league.
Wrexham has not played at this level for 19 years, a sign of progress made by the team since it was purchased by Reynolds and another actor, Rob McElhenney, for $2.5 million in 2021.
Another sign is the success of “Welcome to Wrexham” – the Emmy-winning documentary that documents the Hollywood stars’ first foray into the football league in a small format and is now entering its third season, with the prospect of a fourth.
Another reason is the sight of up to 35,000 spectators flocking to Wrexham’s friendlies on its North American tour, which began in California with draws against Premier League teams Chelsea (2-2) and Bournemouth (1-1) and ended in Reynolds’ hometown of Vancouver. Wrexham defeats Vancouver Whitecaps 4:1, with Reynolds as a guest shortly after a whirlwind press tour for the film “Deadpool & Wolverine”.
It was telling that American broadcaster CBS Sports paid particular attention to the attractiveness of Wrexham when it announced its four-year contract to broadcast matches in the English Football League (the three leagues below the Premier League).
“This is how you see Wrexham, Burnley, Leeds and the Americans,” CBS said in its statement.
In fact, the eyes of the entire world are currently on the team known as “the Dragons”, especially after their two-time promotion from the National League to League One, which includes eight clubs that previously played in the Premier League: Barnsley, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bolton, Charlton, Huddersfield, Reading and Wigan.
It is the Premier League, the most popular football league in the world, that Reynolds and McElhenney want to lead Wrexham into.
However, this is where the really hard work begins.
“Some big clubs have already spent a lot of money this transfer window,” said Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson. “Whereas last year we came into the stadiums and everyone wanted to beat us.”
“We were the big team that came to town. It will be different.”
Take Birmingham, for example, a club whose minority owners include NFL star Tom Brady and which has spent more than £10 million ($12.75 million) on players this summer as part of its bid to return to the second-tier Championship.
Wrexham have signed five players, including three from the Premier League: Seb Revan (Aston Villa), Lewis Brunt (Leicester) and goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo (Arsenal).
George Dobson has joined from Charlton, a current rival in League One, and has already noticed the Reynolds effect.
“(The owners) really care about each individual,” Dobson told British newspaper The Daily Mirror. “The guys have all said they are very interactive. Some owners are like that and some are not. But they are not only committed to the club, they are committed to the whole area.”
After the team’s sudden rise, consolidation could be key for Wrexham this season
“We’re probably not the big team in the league anymore, but I think that’s OK,” said Wrexham defender Eoghan O’Connell. “We’re happy to have something of an underdog status.”
___
AP Football: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
