With Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s squad lifting their third title in as many seasons, here’s why Wrexham could be on the cusp of their first ever EPL appearance.
And so, the amazing adventure to the top continues for The Red Dragons after a hot start during opening week to their 2025-26 campaign in the English Football League Championship (2nd tier), going down to the wire with three thrillers in a matter of eight days; dropping their two league matches and coming out victors in their Carabao Cup first rounder. Despite losing 2 out of the 3, they seem hungry as ever and have shown no signs of slowing down.
Further proof of this is their summer signings list. Nine new signings combining experience and promising talent, truly strengthening their roster’s core. Notable signings include GK Danny Ward (free transfer from Leicester), CB Conor Coady (former Liverpool and England international, ~£2 million from Leicester), F Josh Windass (free transfer from Sheffield Wednesday) who just scored their first goal in the Championship and tallied 13 goals last year in the league, and finally their club record transfer of F Nathan Broadhead (£10 million from Ipswich Town). So they’re clearly showing intent of greater things here.
But wait. Just how did they arrive where they are today? Let’s back up a little.
Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney officially acquired the club back in February 2021, in the middle of their 13th season in a row in the National League (5th tier of English football). They were in a similar scenario to the previous decade – 12th place, 5 points clear of the playoffs, fresh off a 3-0 loss at Altrincham.
However, the tide quickly started to turn with the duo’s purchasing of the club, leaving Wrexham 1 point shy of the promotion playoffs after a 1-1 draw on the final day of the season at Dagenham & Redbridge.
In what would be their 14th consecutive season in the National League, Wrexham’s dynamic duo started to make a real impact. Not only did they sign the eventual Player of the Season and National League Golden Boot winner with 28 total goals in ST Paul Mullin before the season on a free transfer, but the they signed ST Ollie Palmer (who just scored in the Carabao Cup match twice last week) mid-season for a then club-record ~£300k, and produced immediately, scoring 15 goals in 22 appearances.
Not to mention, Rob McElhenney convinced experienced manager Phil Parkinson to lead their squad and their club’s vision of being promoted to the highest levels, something he is potentially months away from accomplishing.
They would go on to finish 2nd in the league table with 88 points, just 6 behind league-leaders Stockport County, and would eventually lose out on promotion against Grimsby Town in the playoff semi-final in a penalty shootout.
Expectations were sky-high following their fantastic run that ended in bitter disappointment last season. After finding their key pieces up front the year prior, this year it was the midfield’s turn with the key additions of Elliot Lee (Free transfer from Luton Town), who scored 14 goals in 50 appearances that year, and Anthony Forde (Undisclosed amount from Oxford United), who made 37 total appearances. They also brought an experienced leader out of retirement in GK Ben Foster (former Premier League and England international) to help with the late promotion push.
Those moves settled it for good in historic fashion. Not only did they win the league to clinch the only automatic promotion spot, but they had major record setting / tying accomplishments:
- 111 points (National League record) – previously held by Crawley Town (105 points)
- 22 wins out of 23 home games (tied existing record)
- 27 clean sheets (new record by both Wrexham and Notts County that season)
- ST Paul Mullin scored 38 league goals and 8 FA Cup goals, giving him 46 total for the season
Wrexham scored a total of 116 goals in their 46 regular season matches (average of 2.52 per match), while only conceding 43. It was a tremendous way to gain promotion and break free from the National League shackles with a BANG. On top of that, the Red Dragons had a notable FA Cup performance, reaching the 4th round.
Returning to League Two (4th tier of English football), Wrexham had significantly less signings than that of the prior 2 seasons. But boy did they make ‘em count. They found their new starting GK in Arsenal loanee Arthur Okonkwo, who remains an important part to this day, just making a Carabao Cup appearance last week.
They added James McClean (~£250k) from Wigan Athletic and George Evans (free transfer) from Millwall to bolster their midfield. And despite Paul Mullin (26 total goals) and Ollie Palmer (8 total goals) remaining their two attacking centerpieces, they found a way to add depth, talent, and experience in free agent ST Steven Fletcher (former Scotland international) who made 34 appearances and tallied eight scores.
This season marked their first League Two appearance since the 2007-08 season. They had a very solid season, finishing with 26 victories and 88 points, but runners-up in the end to none other than Stockport County yet again who finished with 92. However, with League Two granting three automatic promotion spots, Wrexham were promoted for a second consecutive season despite not being crowned champions. As a side note, they also reached the 4th round of the FA Cup for a second consecutive season, an impressive feat for a club in this football tier.
Appearing in League One (3rd tier of English football) for the first time in 20 years, Reynolds and McElhenney knew they had to continue to improve their squad if they were to continue on the same winning path they’d been on for the previous three seasons in hopes of reaching the EFL Championship (2nd tier). And that they did.
Wrexham found integral core pieces to their squad in new signings. First off, they secured their starting GK in Okonkwo, making his move permanent after having spent the past year at the club on loan. Both CB Lewis Brunt (from Leicester City) and LB Sebastian Revan (from Aston Villa U21 academy) helped strengthen the defensive line and both ended up with nearly 30 total appearances on the season. Wrexham had the second-best defense in the league with only 34 goals conceded (Birmingham City – 31).
Defensive MF George Dobson joined on a free transfer from Charlton Athletic and appeared in 48 matches over all competitions. CM Ollie Rathbone (~£420k from Rotherham United – a club record at the time) was also brought in to help in tackling and ball recovery, as well as his leadership and recognized stamina. He also appeared in 48 matches. Mo Faal was brought in for a club-record £590k fee from West Brom. Despite receiving praise from his manager Phil Parkinson, the competition up top was just too fierce and he struggled to get playing time. One of the few (if not the only) big transfers that hasn’t panned out for the club so far.
The offense saw a big adjustment, as Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer were slowly phased out after their struggles to score and maintain a high playing level, both scoring just three league goals in 26 and 27 matches respectively. Neither made a league appearance after January.
Instead, Parkinson rolled with 37-year-old veteran Steven Fletcher and new mid-season signings ST Sam Smith (~2 million from Reading) and ST Jay Rodriguez (from Burnley). Smith tallied seven goals in 19 appearances and Rodriguez scored twice with as many assists in 18 matches. Safe to say Parkinson’s adjustments worked.
Birmingham City were crowned league champions with 111 points, while Wrexham were left to battle it out with well-known nemesis Stockport County for the second and final automatic promotion spot. This time, the Red Dragons figured it out and managed to outplay Stockport, clinching 2nd place with 92 points with a game left in the regular season to their rivals’ 87 points.
With that result, Wrexham became the first team in English football history to be promoted three consecutive times within the top five 5 tiers of English football. On top of that, it marks their first Championship appearance since the 1981-82 season (44 years).
The Championship campaign kicked off a little over a week ago, and Wrexham have looked as hungry as ever for that first ever promotion to the Premier League. But things have changed in the squad since they initially began this magical run a little over three years ago. The hunger and ruthless mentality remains, but most of their players that got them that first promotion do not.
So, who’s left from that 2022-23 roster?
- Max Cleworth (CB): Has featured for Wrexham since the 2021-22 season and has only continued to increase his role as a starter. He became a crucial player last year, appearing in 42 league matches, amassing nearly 3,800 minutes. He was in the Starting XI @ Southampton last weekend.
- Eoghan O’Connell (CB): Arrived in January of 2023 to strengthen the defensive line for Wrexham in their first promotion. Immediately became a vital part of the squad and was featured 39 times in league play last year. He played all 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup match vs. Hull City last week.
- Ryan Barnett (RB): Was signed in February 2023 to help bolster that right flank and give the team extra versatility and speed going forward. He remains a crucial part of the starting lineup. He appeared in 40 league matches last year and was also in the Starting XI at Southampton last weekend.
- Jacob Mendy (LB): Signed in August of 2022, showed tremendous promise and earned a big role on the team. Unfortunately, tore his achilles tendon at the end of the 2023-24 campaign and battled with injuries during last season. Has not made an appearance this year yet, but was available off the bench this past Saturday vs. West Brom..
- Thomas O’Connor (CB): He was signed in January 2022 as a defensive reinforcement and quickly became a key part of the team. After featuring in most of the first of the season last year, his playing time dwindled considerably and ended up as an unused sub for 5 out of the final 7 matches. Has yet to see action this year and his future with Wrexham is uncertain.
- Andy Cannon (CDM): Joined Wrexham in December 2022 from Hull City and was a regular from that point forward until he tore his ACL back in March. He’s expected to return within the next few months.
- Elliot Lee (CAM): Signed in the summer of 2022. Garnered 50+ total appearances in each of his first two full seasons, as well as another 44 appearances last year. Vital doesn’t begin to explain what he’s meant to Wrexham. He made his first appearance of the current season in the Carabao Cup vs. Hull, playing all 90 minutes.
- Ollie Palmer (FW): Joined the club back in January 2022 and was a key starter alongside Paul Mullin for the next couple of years, until Parkinson made a change at the striker position due to both of their declining production on the pitch. He most recently featured in Wrexham’s amazing come-from-behind victory vs. Hull in the Carabao Cup, scoring twice in stoppage time in dramatic fashion.
Every other roster player from that historic, record-setting squad that trounced the entire National League for a full year has gone elsewhere as Wrexham have continued making significant improvements at every position year in and year out to stay competitive. And stay competitive they have.
They’re now one step away. One promotion away from the Premier League. No club in England had ever accomplished three promotions in a row in the top five levels of football until Wrexham did it. Can they also be the first to get four in a row? An interesting year lies ahead for the Hollywood co-chairmen as they face their toughest challenge yet, but don’t seem close to having hit their ceiling yet either.
