Wrexham's promotion to the Championship has been met with a stark financial reality check as the club prepares to face Southampton in their opening fixture on August 9. The Welsh side, co-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, will come up against a club receiving Premier League parachute payments, projected to be around £49 million for the season.
Southampton, relegated from the Premier League in April, are owned by Sport Republic, a London-based investment group. The personal fortunes of its main investors, Dragan Solak and Henrik Kraft, are estimated at £1.4 billion and £2 billion respectively, far outstripping the combined £291 million net worth of Reynolds and McElhenney.
Despite this, Wrexham have a secret weapon in the Allyn family from New York, who became minority investors last October. The family sold their medical device company for nearly £1.5 billion in 2015 and have since provided substantial cash injections to the club.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes Wrexham will still be in the top half of the Championship in terms of spending power, thanks to the global popularity of the 'Welcome to Wrexham' documentary. He told talkSPORT: 'Wrexham made three times as much as any other club in League Two, more than any other club in League One and they would be in the top half of the Championship.'
Maguire added that promotion brings an extra £8 million in TV money, putting Wrexham close to most clubs except those with parachute payments. He also noted the club's strong position regarding Profit and Sustainability Rules, with a loss limit of £39 million over three years in the Championship.
Manager Phil Parkinson is expected to receive financial support this summer to assemble a competitive squad, but the opening match against Southampton will be a tough test of Wrexham's ambitions.
