If Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the owners of Wrexham AFC, have learned anything over the past three years, it’s that football is a costly sport.
The Hollywood duo is owing roughly £9 million in debts, which have been used to finance the Red Dragons thus far, according to the club’s most recent financial statements, which were made public last week.
Despite having an overall deficit of about £5.1m for the fiscal year, they paid out £6.9m in wages previous season as Phil Parkinson’s team was promoted from the National League.
Wrexham authorities stated on the club website that the losses since the takeover in February 2021 were considered important to enable the team to advance rapidly, with no imminent obligation to repay the debts.
In order to stabilize their finances, Reynolds and McElhenney might have to spend less on new hires in the future by developing more young players through the ranks.
Fortunately for them, there are already indications that this is beginning to happen, as demonstrated by the exceptional play of a rookie defense in League Two this year.
Max Cleworth’s rising star at Wrexham
When Max Cleworth joined Wrexham at the age of twelve, his game took off.
The 17-year-old center-back made his debut for the senior team during the 2019–20 campaign, and since then, his playing time has steadily increased.
He made almost 20 appearances in the team’s National League championship run the previous season.
After Wrexham was promoted to League Two, the 21-year-old failed to get a spot in Parkinson’s starting lineup, making only one start in the 2023–24 campaign.
But Cleworth has made eighteen league starts since recovering his spot in the starting lineup during a 2-0 victory over Newport County at the Racecourse in December.
The youthful player has demonstrated exceptional defensive abilities, establishing a cohesive unit with the seasoned leaders Will Boyle and Eoghan O’Connell in a back three.
Cleworth is skilled at playing the ball out from the back and is quite at ease with the ball.
This was demonstrated last week when Wrexham defeated Mansfield, as demonstrated by the excellent slide rule pass he made to Andy Cannon to set up the team’s opening goal.
In the first half, he also made a vital interception to prevent Will Swan, a striker for the Stags, from scoring on the other end.
Club legend predicts Cleworth’s success
Andy Morrell, a Wrexham icon, is one guy who thinks Cleworth has what it takes to follow the team up the leagues.
Having watched the young player closely this season, the former striker and boss believes he has made the most progress in his physical game.
Morrell stated, “He looks bigger, he looks stronger, and he looks like he’s been to the gym,” in an interview with the Fearless in Devotion podcast.
“At the moment, he exudes confidence and is the one preventing James McClean from becoming embroiled in problems. He has simply been exceptional.
He wasn’t even close to having his shot at the beginning of the season, so he had to wait patiently for it.
But at the conclusion of the games, he kept up his running, and he rejoined the team. He simply keeps becoming better and better.
Wrexham face big choice over defender’s future
Cleworth’s contract with Wrexham is set to expire in June 2025, so that’s his future there.
The Red Dragons are faced with a bit of a dilemma as the defender is quickly becoming hot property.
If a team from higher up to come knocking, the simplest way to alleviate their financial problems would be to cash in by selling him to another club.
Alternatively, they might adopt a long-term strategy and let him develop with the teams as they strive to advance through the divisions.
It’s true that some supporters already believe Cleworth has what it takes to compete at the championship level.
This would increase his value and save the team from having to pay top dollar for a famous defender down the road.
Whichever path they decide on, Cleworth’s rise may be essential to keeping Reynolds and McElhenney afloat financially and sparing them millions of pounds.
