As if three promotions in as many years weren’t enough for Wrexham, the north Wales club co-owned by Hollywood stars Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds are enjoying another memorable campaign.
Currently positioned seventh in the Championship, manager Phil Parkinson’s squad is a strong contender for one of the four coveted end-of-season promotion play-off spots. They are genuinely vying for a fourth straight promotion, aiming to reach the Premier League—a truly astonishing ascent.
The team is also enjoying an exciting FA Cup run this season. After eliminating Premier League side Nottingham Forest and Championship promotion rival Ipswich Town to reach the last 16, one wonders if a dramatic “Hollywood ending” awaits them in this competition as well. (Spoiler: the odds suggest otherwise, but we’ll delve into that later.)
Naturally, Wrexham’s meteoric rise transcends the conventional football fairytale narrative. Their journey has been heavily funded by McElhenney and Reynolds, alongside co-owners the New York-based Allyn family and Apollo Sports Capital (ASC), a global investment giant.
Nevertheless, Wrexham has climbed through the divisions at an astonishing pace, far surpassing initial expectations from when McElhenney and Reynolds acquired the club in February 2021, at which point the team was languishing in the fifth tier of English football.
Adapting to the rigors of Championship football has necessitated rapid squad evolution for Wrexham. Beloved figures instrumental in their ascent, such as Paul Mullin, Ollie Palmer, and James McClean, have made way for more experienced and higher-calibre players. This season alone, the club has invested approximately £38 million in new signings. While some of these acquisitions have been more impactful than others, the club’s unwavering ambition is beyond question.
Phil Parkinson, who has masterminded Wrexham’s ascent from the fifth tier to the second since 2023, now faces the challenge of maintaining his players’ concentration on their Premier League promotion aspirations in the coming weeks, especially following their FA Cup draw against Chelsea (Harriet Massey/Getty Images)
Last summer, Nathan Broadhead joined Wrexham as a marquee signing, arriving from a recently relegated Ipswich side in a club-record £10 million ($13.6 million at current rates) transfer. However, the 27-year-old Welsh international forward has, to date, delivered a somewhat underwhelming performance, registering just four goals in 24 league appearances.
Conversely, his Welsh international colleague and fellow 2025 summer acquisition, Kieffer Moore, has proven to be Wrexham’s main catalyst this season, netting 10 goals in 29 Championship matches. The towering 6ft 5in (196cm) 33-year-old forward perfectly embodies the attacking spearhead required by Parkinson’s tactical setup.
In defense, Dominic Hyam, another acquisition from the same transfer window, has rapidly integrated into the squad. The 30-year-old Scotland international has, in fact, started every one of the 27 league fixtures since his September debut, serving as the linchpin of their three-man defensive line.
While Ben Sheaf, Callum Doyle, Lewis O’Brien, and Josh Windass have all made varying contributions in their inaugural seasons with the club, a significant portion of Wrexham’s established core players from earlier campaigns continue to form a vital foundation for Parkinson’s squad.
Max Cleworth, a 23-year-old product of Wrexham’s own youth academy, has accumulated more league minutes than any other player this season (2,700). Arthur Okonkwo maintains his role as the primary goalkeeper, having also held this position in the 2023-24 League Two season and last season in League One. Meanwhile, George Dobson, acquired in the summer of 2024 following their promotion to the third tier, remains an indispensable figure in central midfield.
Parkinson has expertly managed to bolster the Wrexham squad incrementally, avoiding an impulsive overhaul that could have easily destabilized the robust foundations established over recent years.
Their progression to the fifth round of this season’s FA Cup has unequivocally demonstrated Wrexham’s capacity to contend effectively against high-calibre opponents.
The team’s penalty shootout triumph against Forest in the third round generated considerable buzz, as did their defeat of Ipswich last weekend, which paved the way for a highly anticipated clash with reigning Club World Cup champions Chelsea next month at The Racecourse.
Under the global spotlight, Wrexham has another prime opportunity to make a significant impression.
Priced at 9/2, Wrexham are distinctly considered underdogs to overcome opponents currently sitting fifth in the Premier League and advance further in their FA Cup journey. Their odds of 100/1 to ultimately lift the trophy at May’s Wembley final further underscore the minimal probability of additional cup magic materializing.
While Wrexham’s promotion odds of 22/1 are considerably shorter, they nonetheless indicate that Parkinson and his squad face a substantial challenge to realistically secure promotion and usher in the club’s inaugural season of top-flight football.
Ahead of their FA Cup encounter with Chelsea on the weekend of March 7-8, Wrexham is scheduled to face Ipswich (currently fourth), Portsmouth, Charlton Athletic, and Watford in a sequence of matches that could prove pivotal in shaping their promotion prospects.
Damaging home defeats against Norwich City and Millwall have recently pushed the Welsh side out of the top six, having played one more game than fifth-placed Hull City and two more than Ipswich. They were on the verge of re-entering the play-off spots with an away victory against Bristol City on Tuesday, but an equalizer in the 89th minute forced them to settle for a 2-2 draw.
A review of Wrexham’s underlying statistics indicates a degree of overperformance. According to FotMob, they stand 13th out of 24 Championship teams for expected-goals difference and 18th for the lowest expected-goals conceded. Yet, when it comes to ‘Big Chances,’ Wrexham ranks an impressive sixth, exceeding their actual league position of seventh. This specific metric implies that their finishing in front of goal is frequently below par.
Although Wrexham might eventually be pushed out of a top-six position by rival teams in the standings, they remain firmly in contention for the play-offs with 14 league matches still to play. Furthermore, their FA Cup performance hints that Parkinson’s tactical methodology might be particularly effective in knockout competitions.
Given their current momentum, it appears plausible—perhaps even probable—that Wrexham will reach the Premier League in the not-too-distant future. The club is actively establishing the infrastructure (quite literally, with the new Kop stand development) to support sustained future achievements.
It’s conceivable that this current season arrives a little too early for Wrexham to advance to the next stage of their remarkable climb through the divisions. Securing four promotions in just four years might prove to be an overly ambitious target.
Nevertheless, Wrexham has a history of defying expectations. Few predicted they would secure promotion from League One on their first try two seasons prior. Even after their ascent from non-League football in summer 2023, Wrexham received cautionary advice regarding the elevated standards they would face in the EFL.
Half a year into their current challenge, the Welsh team appears entirely comfortable competing at a second-division standard and possesses the potential for further advancement. The Premier League beckons.