Ryan Reynolds’ four-word response to £50m Wrexham risk speaks volumes…
Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were presented with a frightening bill ahead of the club’s League One season with their response proving to be a pivotal one..
Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds barely hesitated when posed with a huge question ahead of Wrexham’s 2024/25 promotion-winning campaign.
The Deadpool actor bought the club in February 2021 alongside fellow actor Rob McElhenney, and the pair have spent heavily to achieve success since then. The pair have made no secret of how costly running a football club can be, with Reynolds previously comparing it to “lighting money on fire”.
However, their multimillion-pound investment has clearly paid off as Phil Parkinson’s side have achieved three successive promotions, taking them from the National League to the Championship. While Wrexham sealed their latest rise up the ladder last month, newly released footage has revealed the whopping £50million funding request they were presented with before starting life in League One last August.
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The fourth series of Welcome to Wrexham premiered on Disney+ for fans in the UK on Friday, and the first episode shows how an urgent meeting was convened ahead of the new season to discuss finances. Reynolds and McElhenney were both present on the video call, along with club CEO Michael Williamson, director Shaun Harvey and finance chief Steve Phillips.
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In a candid assessment of the club’s position, Williamson says: “The reality is that League One is really f***ing difficult. We kind of need to understand what our goals and our strategies are going to be. There’s a couple of things that we can do.
“We [could] arrive in League One. We could stay where we are, stabilise and build some foundations. I can find a balanced budget for you as well, but the risk is we end up being stuck in League One.
“The other thing we could do is we build on all this momentum that you guys have already created here. You’d invest in all of the areas at the same time to give us a competitive chance to get back-to-back-to-back promotions.”
Williamson then sets about detailing the estimated £50m bill, including a 5,500-seat stand and new academy training facility. The playing budget and cost of laying a new pitch are also included in the hefty sum.
When asked about the £1.7m price tag attached to the new pitch, Reynolds jokes: “Is the grass like human hair or something. How is it that expensive? I don’t understand.” Williamson informs him a stitched hybrid pitch, with undersoil heating and improved drainage, would need to be installed to make the playing surface at the Racecourse Ground last longer.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds
The risk paid off for Rob and Ryan as Wrexham achieved promotion to the Championship(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA, Getty Images)
McElhenney replies: “The big question is, do we essentially want to do the most responsible thing, which is build a team that’s sustainable in League One, or do we want to put all of our chips on the table and make a push to get promoted and get in the Championship.”
After being advised of the risks, Reynolds assertively responds: “I will never forget when Rob said that our objective is to get to the Premier League when we were in the National League. Now, we’re in League One on our way to the Championship, and I just say, let’s go for it. Let’s f***ing do it.”
His X-rated outburst is met with visible delight from McElhenney, who says: “Oh, my God, that is music to my ears. I really had no idea which way you were going to go. Historically, you’ve always been the more practical one but I like it. I like this Ryan. Let’s keep betting on the town.”
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