Wrexham paying wages rivals ‘can’t’ match despite Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney ‘investing very little of own money’
WREXHAM’S Hollywood owners have turned the club into a global brand since they took over.
And the chairman of one League One rival has commended them for doing it with “very little of their own money”.
Wrexham’s owners, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, have catapulted the Welsh side from non-league to League One since they took over in 2020.
And the pair have managed to do it by attracting some big name stars, who wouldn’t normally drop down divisions, to join their ranks.
With two consecutive promotions under their belt, rival chairman Darragh MacAnthony has backed them to breeze to a third this season.
The Peterborough exec pointed towards the big wage packets that Wrexham can pay their players as the reason they’re able to make such impressive progress through the divisions.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, he said: “They’ll be in the Championship and we could still be in League One because they can pay £7,000-£10,000 a week to players and we can’t.
“That’s the dynamic of the game. Fair play to the owners.”
Wrexham have seen players such as Ollie Palmer, Paul Mullin and Elliot Lee drop down multiple divisions to join their project in recent seasons.
While they managed to convince Arsenal shot-stopper Arthur Okonkwo to join their ranks after he was released by the Premier League club this summer.
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Although most fans would assume that Reynolds and McElhenney are pumping in their movie star cash to foot the bills, MacAnthony has claimed they’re doing it with sponsorship money instead.
Praising their savvy plans to turn Wrexham into a brand, he added: “They bought into the club with a plan in mind and they’ve managed to finance it by selling documentaries, advertising, and doing deals with skincare companies, drink companies etc.
“When they’ve had to put very little of their own money in. I saw their revenues last season and it was £15-£20 million a year as opposed to £5 million when they first came in.
“It’s probably even more now. Anyone who can do that while also winning promotions deserves credit. They are not breaking any rules and we’d all do it if we could.”
Since their takeover, Wrexham have agreed sponsorship deals with huge brands such as TikTok, Expedia, HP and United Airlines.
And Ryan Reynolds’ own gin brand, Aviation Gin, has also partnered with the club.
Perhaps most notably, Wrexham have their Disney+ show “Welcome to Wrexham”, which is watched by fans all over the world.
And reports have suggested that the show pockets Wrexham around £430,000 per episode.
Wrexham are unbeaten in League One this season, winning two and drawing one of their opening three clashes.