Ryan Reynolds hit with £49million reality after Wrexham's opening Championship fixtures

Wales Online

8 hours ago

Ryan Reynolds hit with £49million reality after Wrexham's opening Championship fixtures
Wrexham face a tough Championship opening fixture against Southampton, who are in receipt of Premier League parachute payments and have owners with significant personal fortunes
Wrexham owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds could find it tough to compete financially with teams like Southampton
(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images )
Wrexham have received a stark reminder of the challenges they will face in the Championship after their fixture list for next season was confirmed.
Phil Parkinson's side face a tough test in their opening game as they travel away to Southampton, who were relegated from the Premier League in April. Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have indicated that the manager will be well-backed this summer as he looks to build a team which can compete in the second tier.
‌
The two Hollywood stars boast a combined net worth estimated at around £291m ($400m) thanks to their acting income and smart business investments. However, in their first fixture on August 9, they face a club which will be in receipt of Premier League parachute payments.
‌
Teams who dropped out of the top flight continue to receive a share of revenues for at least a further two years as they adapt to life in the Championship. During their first season after relegation, Southampton are expected to receive approximately £49m.
That figure is equal to around five-times the sum that normal second tier sides get via solidarity payments and TV broadcast deals. The Saints are owned by London-based investment group Sport Republic, headed up by Rasmus Ankersen, Henrik Kraft, and lead investor Dragan Solak.
Solak's estimated net worth stands at around £1.4bn, according to news magazine Nedeljnik, positioning him as the second-richest person in Serbia. Meanwhile, Kraft is reported to be worth roughly £2bn, highlighting why Southampton are among the favourites to life the Championship title next season.
Article continues below
Wrexham face Southampton, who were relegated after a disastrous Premier League season last term
Watch Welcome to Wrexham season 4 on Disney+
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
from £4.99
Disney+ Get Disney+ here Product Description
Welcome to Wrexham is back on Disney+ for a fourth season. Fans can watch the series with a £4.99 monthly plan, or get 12 months for the price of 10 by paying for a year upfront.
Their personal fortunes dwarf those of Reynolds and McElhenney, but Wrexham do have an ace up their sleeves in the form of the Allyn family from New York, who became minority investors in the club last October. For more than a century, the family were the owners of US medical device manufacturing company Welch Allyn Inc.
‌
That was until September 2015 when the firm was sold to Hill-Rom in a deal reported to be worth just under £1.5bn at current rates . The Allyns have since turned their attentions to investing in private and public markets, and Wrexham have received several large cash injections since their arrival.
While they don't necessarily have the riches to compete with recently-relegated Premier League clubs, football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes the Red Dragons will still be in the top half of the table in terms of their spending power. And he said the popularity of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary is one of the main reasons for their financial strength.
Speaking to talkSPORT earlier this year, he said: "Wrexham made three times as much as any other club [when playing] in League Two, more than any other club in League One and they would be in the top half of the Championship.
‌
Sign up to our newsletter! Wrexham is the Game is great new way to get top-class coverage
Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary 'Welcome to Wrexham'.
But does it have a dedicated, quality source of information piped through to your inbox each week, free of ads but packed with informed opinion, analysis and even a little bit of fun each week? That's where Wrexham is the Game steps in...
Available every Wednesday, it provides all the insights you need to be a top red. And for a limited time, a subscription to 'Wrexham is the Game' will cost fans just £15 for the first year.
Sign up for Wrexham is the Game here
"Therefore they're not that far behind the Championship's big hitters – the likes of Stoke and Norwich. It's an incredible achievement in terms of bringing in money. It's also their ability to become an international brand which has really driven this.
'[Promotion] adds another £8m of TV money because they will be in the Championship. That would put them fairly close to all of the clubs except for those who will be in receipt of parachute payments in the Championship."
Article continues below
Maguire added: "I think that they are in a very strong position from a PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) point of view. Last year they lost £2.5m, they can lose £39m over three years when they get to the Championship.
"They have the capacity to invest in players and invest in improving the infrastructure and I think they will be an exhilarating proposition to watch because everybody's eyes will be on them."