Wrexham’s ambition to rise up the EFL under the well-known Hollywood ownership duo of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has been one of the biggest footballing narratives in recent times as they ended their fourteen-year exile from League Two last term.
And upon that return, Phil Parkinson’s side are showing all the hallmarks required to make back-to-back promotions a reality, currently sitting two points behind leaders Stockport County.
Dean Saunders discusses Wrexham’s promotion chances
Dean Saunders, a well-known figure to Red Dragons supporters through his three-year spell as manager at the STōK Cae Ras between 2008 and 2011, has been talking about his former side’s global notoriety through the Disney+ ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary and their upcoming chances of promotion.
Saunders said via Instant Casino: “I’ve heard there’s a big Welcome to Wrexham sign at LAX Airport. Paul Mullin is more famous in America than he is in Wrexham. It’s amazing.
“Wrexham have finally joined the Football League, which was the most important thing. I always thought that the club could go through the leagues and into the Championship – we’ve seen plenty of other teams do it. It looks like Wrexham will, too,” Saunders continued.
“I think Wrexham should take the season in four-game segments, and winning four in a row should be a target the players should aim for. But how they approach it is down to Phil Parkinson, I think he’s doing a great job.”
He added: “Wrexham look as though they’re getting there, and the gap between the top two and the playoff teams will start opening some more if recent results continue. Some of the teams in League Two are not as good as the teams in the National League, and it looks like a bit of a gap is opening up with Stockport, Wrexham, and Mansfield.”
League One provides new challenges for Wrexham
If they are successful in their promotion bid, it will be Wrexham’s first stint in the third tier since the 2004/05 season, and the landscape of the third tier has significantly changed since then.
As shown this season by Portsmouth, Derby County and Bolton Wanderers, a number of ex-Premier League sides have dropped into the division and asserted their dominance in stature, which Saunders believes could be a challenge for the ownership despite their well-documented investment so far.
“The target of getting into League One should also be on the players’ minds, but that’ll bring its own challenges, like wage demands,” he continued. “There are League One teams with a £20 million budget! I don’t know what Wrexham’s is, but I’d guess that the average playing budget is £3 million in that league. A team with more than that has a chance of winning the league, only to face the likes of Burnley and Leicester in the Championship.
Saunders went on to discuss the likelihood of deterring interest away from their talisman Mullin, as well as other key assets.
“If the target is the Championship, then Wrexham will have to keep their best players. Paul Mullin will be poached if he keeps scoring, and plenty of other clubs could double his wages.
“The club won’t be able to match what richer teams can offer, and that’s the biggest problem facing Wrexham as they sail through the leagues. They’ll also have agents who are looking for better deals for the players.
“Budgets aren’t always about buying players, they’re also about paying your best players what they deserve. Leicester lost Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kante, and Riyad Mahrez after winning the Premier League, for example,” The 59-year-old added.
Wrexham’s chances of reaching the Championship
Saunders’ verdict of Wrexham’s current predicament is one which is shared across many who cast a keen eye on developments in the second tier, with the likes of Stockport and Notts County also looking to progress swiftly after regaining league status.
They’ve done well to manage the expectation levels set on themselves from the outside, which was added to given the additions of James McClean and Steven Fletcher following promotion.
Saunders believes that Wrexham can reach the Championship, but must adopt a conservative approach if they were able to do so, given the competition from clubs who will reap the benefits of parachute payments from the top flight.
