“Can be quite problematic” - Wrexham given Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney warning | OneFootball

Wrexham have been sent a big fiscal warning by finance expert Dr Rob Wilson following their promotion to League One.

It's well known that the North Wales-based side are one of the biggest spenders in the lower quarters of the EFL. Even in the National League, they were forking out higher numbers than every League Two team, in some categories, and more than most League One sides as well.

None of this would be possible without their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who invested into the Red Dragons in a time of need.

In November 2020, the pair bought Wrexham for a reported £2 million, as per The Independent, and have since transformed the club from a middling National League side to back-to-back promotion winners, from said league up to the third tier.

All the while, they have been paying players - who should really be applying their trade at a higher level than they actually are - to where the red home strips at the Racecourse Ground and it's all gone swimmingly so far.

But, there is always the danger of what if the money that Reynolds and McElhenney are having to put in becomes too much - even with their Disney+ deal and all the lucrative sponsorships, the club still owes the pair £9 million.

The aforementioned Dr Wilson sees this as a potentially huge problem for Wrexham in the future.

Football finance expert issues 'huge' Wrexham financial claim

Dr Wilson has said that the Red Dragons would be in serious trouble if their owners were to leave the Racecourse.

Wilson said, via BonusCodeBets: "Wrexham would face huge financial problems if their Hollywood owners walk away, that’s why Profitability and Sustainability rules are so necessary.

"There was a time when Roman Abramovich owned Chelsea that he could have walked away and even if he didn’t want his money back they wouldn’t have been able to pay their player wages due to insufficient revenue.

"You would imagine that Wrexham have learnt some of those lessons, but equally if the owners were to walk away it would plunge Wrexham into kind of deep, deep challenges.

"That's why owner investment can be quite problematic if it's ever removed."

Wrexham have a dangerous dependence on their owners

All football clubs are dictated to by the financial might of their owners. Those teams with the deepest pockets behind them tend to do the best, as Wrexham are currently proving, but their current model could set them up for as fast of a decline as their rise has been.

If you look at some of the best success stories in the EFL - the teams who have gone from where Wrexham are now to the Premier League - they all have a very sustainable way of doing things.

AFC Bournemouth have American backing now, but they weren't bankrolled to the top. Luton Town have a self-imposed wage cap, as per The Athletic, to make sure that they are ran in the most sustainable way possible. That is the polar opposite to Wrexham.

The Red Dragons are buying their way to the top. As long as their charismatic owners are still their to finance the club and pull in sponsorship deals. But, if they jump ship, then the whole thing will start to sink very quickly, unless something changes.