“Going for Broke”- Ryan Reynolds Shares Disturbing Reality Behind Wrexham’s Promotion to League One

Mammoth Hollywood funding and back-to-back promotions have colored the Wrexham fairytale ever since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over the club in 2020. But was this Hollywood money enough to let Wrexham stay in the EFL League Two and learn from their mistakes until they achieved a new promotion? You might think the entertainment superstars could have easily afforded that. However, Ryan Reynolds says differently. As per Reynolds, the Red Dragons were in a financial crunch, and a promotion was the only way out.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney sat down with ESPN’s Alexis Nunes in a recent ESPN FC episode before the Welcome to Wrexham season 3 premiere. At one point, Nunes asked the Hollywood duo if Wrexham could have afforded to stay in League Two and achieve promotion after a couple of seasons. “We’re going for broke. We must get promoted, and that is, every cell in our body is engineered right now toward that goal, and um, we’ll do whatever it takes to get there. That’s all we’re thinking about when it comes to the at the moment,” said Ryan Reynolds in response.

Diving further into Reynolds’ statement, co-owner Rob McElhenney said Wrexham’s fanbase would not have accepted anything less than consistent wins and a promotion. “There’s nothing more depressing as a fan or a supporter when you hear the ownership group of the team that you’re supporting saying, well, we’re in a rebuilding year, and this is a three-year plan. No one wants to hear that; no one wants to hear that it’s just not the way, sport, it’s not the way, it’s not human nature. I want to win right now; I don’t care about five years from now,” McElhenney said. Now, the challenge of faring in a much more competitive League One awaits Wrexham. How equipped are Rob and Ryan to oversee future spending? Let’s find out.

Wrexham’s transfer season challenges explored

Wrexham will reportedly be able to spend north of $7 million in the summer transfer window to galvanize the squad for third-tier soccer in the UK. While it might be enough for worthy purchases in League One, the Red Dragons will have to deal with nine players who will be out of contract this summer. These nine players include big names such as James McClean, Ben Tozer, and Luke Young, among others. So Rob and Ryan will have to earmark a significant part of their $7 million+ budget for potential contract extensions.

Per rumors, the Welsh side will look to permanently sign goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, who is currently on loan at Arsenal. Moreover, Reynolds and McElhenney have Notts County striker Macaulay Langstaff on their radar for the upcoming season. When all the spending is said and done, the Hollywood duo and Wrexham will again have to buckle up for a promotion instead of taking the easy way and learning slowly in League One.