This season, Wrexham Football Club gained promotion to the English Championship. With their eyes firmly set on the Premier League, it is possible they could make the top flight by 2026. What they need to do next is detailed in the article below.
When asked about what comes next, “Not. Done. Yet.” were the words given by Rob McElhenney regarding the meteoric rise of his club, Wrexham A.F.C. In part ownership with Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds, the pair have taken the club from the non-league to within spitting distance of the EPL. Yet the hard work is just about to begin. So what do they have to do to get there?
Spend Money and Do So Wisely
It is a big step from the Championship to the Premier League. Most newly promoted teams can only survive so long on excitement and momentum before they are outclassed. That is, unless they have been spending profusely in their Championship years to build a squad with depth.
Money talks in football, and nowhere is that more true than in Championship ascension. Ipswich spent £8m when they were promoted from League One. This year, Birmingham has spent an eyewatering £29.7m to get itself promoted.
In contrast, Wrexham has spent £5m. Their most expensive recruit was Sam Smith, who came from League One Reading for £2 million. This broke the club’s transfer record fee, which was great for them, but is paltry if they want to compete in the Premier League.
This should be their overall goal: Building a squad that can not just get promotion, but can compete in the top flight. A perfect case study can be found in Leeds United. This year, they spent around £137.6 million on getting to the top of the league. Yet this was not idle spending to placate fans. It was done tactically: Consolidating their defence or bringing in defensive midfielders. It was also a mix of old and young players, hedging for the future. Wrexham needs to follow suit.
Once the investment is made at this stage, it can be recouped in the leap to the EPL. Leeds United saw their broadcast rights alone go from £9 million to £112 million when moving up. This is a huge step up, and also caused matchday turnover to double. It is a case of speculate to accumulate, and the time is now.
Have Trust in Phil Parkinson
While spending is essential, it can only go so far. You will have seen this countless times before, with instances in which money has been thrown at a team that just does not gel. Inevitably, a long string of managerial changes ensues.
Wrexham must be careful not to fall into that vicious circle. There will be hard times ahead, both in the Championship and if they get into the Premier League. This could involve looming relegation battles, perhaps for much longer than a single season. Thus, trust in Phil Parkinson is essential.
Even outside of his work with Wrexham, Parkinson has proven himself to be an exceptional manager. He has now achieved promotion with teams six times. This was with Colchester, Bradford, Bolton Wanderers and now his Wrexham tallies. This puts him just behind Graham Taylor, Dave Bassett and Jim Smith on seven, with Neil Warnock leading the pack at eight.
In his time at these clubs, he also had a fraction of the finances available to him that he had at Wrexham. Therefore, trust and some pocket money will go a long way.
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Continue the Step Down Approach
One tactic that has worked for the club so far when approaching signings has been asking players to take a step down in leagues. This is something Wrexham can do easily, particularly with back-to-back promotions behind them and their unique associations. Both Paul Mullin and Elliot Lee did this.
These characters are now on the fringes, as further signings have come to take their place. This is something that has worked, and will work again. Now, the team must fix its eyes on getting these Premier League players to join their crusade. However, they are not the only team using this tactic. Birmingham did the same by signing Jay Stansfield from Fulham for £15m. Thus, they may find themselves in a heated transfer market.
A solution to this would be to go abroad. So far, the team has very few international players, and most of these have come from English teams. Jay Rodriguez was one player who came from Burnley but is of Spanish origin.
The EPL is huge in Europe, bringing in revenue for both teams and bookmakers. Websites such as casasdeapuestas360.es have provided new ways for people like yourself to engage in international leagues such as the EPL. By providing competitive odds, with global television rights, sites like this have become one of the main reasons the EPL is a global league. If people can support and bet on Manchester City and Liverpool from Europe, then signing players from abroad is a way for Wrexham to tap into this market. This would impact both ticket and merchandise sales.
Be Cautious and Patient
Back-to-back promotions are not necessarily a great thing if people come to expect this performance all the time. Therefore, Wrexham, including its fans, players, and boardroom, must be patient. Promotion may not come this season, nor the next, but it will come.
In many ways, this could be better for the team. It allows them to build a squad more capable of survival and possible European qualification once they do arrive in the EPL. They can look at Leicester City for inspiration when it comes to this. They were relegated in 2004 and did not make it back to the Premier League until 11 seasons later. The rest is history.
Make Upgrades to Stōk Cae Ras
The club plays its games at Stōk Cae Ras Stadium. So far, the ground has a capacity of 13,300. It is also aging. When it comes to facilities for players, the club still does not have its own training ground. This is something that needs to be addressed if they have any hope of competing in the EPL and reaping the financial rewards.
In contrast, Birmingham, in the league below them, has a ground that holds 29,400. Wrexham had an average attendance of 12,757 during their last campaign. If they were in the Championship this season, then they would have the third smallest attendance. While the allure of Hollywood stars may pull in a few people, Wrexham is not a big city with a huge level of support for its club.
For this, Reynolds and associates may need to leverage some of that Hollywood charm. While they do have financial backing, this will be a significant outlay. Everton’s new ground had a budget of £500m but ended up costing £800m. Manchester United have just announced plans to build a new stadium. At a cost of £2bn, this won’t come cheap either. Yes, they are Premier League Clubs, but if this is the eventual goal, the investment should begin now.
Invest in an Academy
Wrexham has long been a hotbed for footballing talent. You may remember Ian Rush, Liverpool hero of yesteryear, or in the past few seasons you may have witnessed Harry Williams and Neco Williams. All have all sprung from the area. Yet very little of that talent is developed in Wrexham itself. Investment in an academy would show a commitment to the future of not just the club, but the region.
Academy investment is another big spend. The top clubs in the EPL spend an average of £3.5m running their academy each year. Yet this does not include building and setup costs. Luckily, a good academy can pay for itself down the line. At clubs like Ajax, this has been a huge earner as they sell developed, world class players to teams across the globe.
Distance Themselves from Documentary Making
Without Netflix and its documentary ‘Welcome to Wrexham‘, the club may not even be in the position it is today. It brought the team to a worldwide audience and showed the people of the town and club supporters in a positive light. This, in turn, has brought sponsorship and money.
Yet it may be time for Wrexham to stand on its own two feet. This next season will be the hardest so far. It has teams below it, such as Birmingham, with depth and a hunger for promotion. Added to this are the other teams coming down who want to reclaim their Premier League seat. Like a middle manager taking heat from the boss and his workers, in between is often the hardest place to be. Football now needs to be the priority.
That does not mean the documentary arm has to cease. In fact, this is just as much a part of football as anything else. But Wrexham can no longer be the team from the Netflix documentary, or Ryan Reynolds’ club. It needs to show that it is a football team, not coasting off the back of its celebrity endorsements, owners, and documentaries.
Now will be the real test for Wrexham. They need to make some serious investments in players, stadiums, and youth academies. Luckily, they are in a unique position to do so. Should they be promoted, the EPL will pay this back in dividends. Yet at the end of the day, when the celebrities have gone and the money is spent, only the manager and players on the pitch can decide this.
