Wrexham owner makes Premier League comment for the first time as fan worries emerge
Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has revealed that the club's ambitions go beyond just reaching the Premier League, as he shared the concerns some fans have raised
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds' ultimate goal is to help Wrexham lift the Premier League title
(Image: Leon Bennett/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
Rob McElhenney has unveiled an ambitious new target for Wrexham to clinch the Premier League title.
The North Wales club have experienced remarkable success under the joint ownership of the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator and fellow Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds. Following their acquisition by the duo in February 2021, Wrexham have been catapulted from the National League into the Championship after securing three consecutive promotions.
The celebrity owners have made their intentions crystal clear from the outset - to guide the Red Dragons all the way to the top flight. McElhenney, who has recently applied to officially change his name to Rob Mac, has now disclosed that their aspirations extend beyond merely making up the numbers, with the ultimate prize being Premier League title glory.
However, whilst the 48-year-old is keen to achieve that milestone at the earliest opportunity, he emphasised during an interview with S4C that progress must be built on solid foundations.
When questioned about whether Premier League status remained within reach, McElhenney said: "That's the way the pyramid is set up and why not us? Why should that be reserved for other towns, for other cities?
"It doesn't mean it's going to be easy and it doesn't mean that it's just going to happen quickly. It could take many, many years for it to happen. We're going to make a push to do it as quickly as possible, because we don't know any other way to do it, but we're going to do it the right way."
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Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney wants to achieve success in step with the community's wishes
(Image: S4C)
Whilst many supporters might relish the possibility of challenging for the top flight, McElhenney revealed how some Wrexham fans had voiced reservations to him. He explained this stemmed from the potential consequences for their club, which has never competed in the Premier League, alongside insufficient supporting infrastructure.
Wrexham's home stadium, the Racecourse Ground, is currently operating at a diminished capacity of approximately 10,000 this season as construction work on a new stand takes place. Additionally, the club remains without a permanent training base following the previous loss of ownership of their former facility at Colliers Park near Wrexham.
"We're going to do it [reach the Premier League] in the same way that we've been doing it from day one, which is asking the town," McElhenney said. "I sort of jumped the gun early on and just assumed that that's what the people of the town wanted for their club, and that that wasn't necessarily the case.
"I had a lot of very long conversations with people that said, 'Well, we might not be ready for that. The town might not be ready for that and the club might not be ready for that.'
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"We have to make sure that we're always checking in with the community to make sure that this is what they want. It was a crazy pipe dream four or five years ago where we got laughed at by the media and by the world, but I don't think anybody's laughing anymore."
He added: "We don't want to build something that's unsustainable. As glorious as it might be to be promoted to the Premier League, it would be equally as tragic to be relegated again, because that can very quickly create that spiral downwards.
"Is the ultimate goal the Premier League? Yes, of course. Is it winning the Premier League? Yes, of course. But that actually isn't the number one goal. The number one goal is building something for the next generation and leaving something behind that is sustainable for the rest of its existence."
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