Wrexham are now just one campaign away from the Premier League. But more so than ever, the odds are stacked well against them.
Three-straight promotions have landed Wrexham in the second tier of English football for next season: the first time that the Dragons have competed at this level in more than 40 years.
Owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have seen their club’s value skyrocket along this incredible journey, with some estimations suggesting that Wrexham are now worth £150million as a club.
Ahead of next season, Wrexham have been tipped to compete in the Championship. And McElhenney has played down Wrexham consolidating in the Championship, suggesting that the club is eager to keep this momentum going.
Phil Parkinson though will surely have reservations about how his side will fare next season. He’s a tried and tested Championship manager but the league is incredibly competitive, along with the budgets at each club and so on.
But like in seasons before, Wrexham could once again surprise everyone and challenge at the top.
Wrexham AFC manager Phil Parkinson during a game against Huddersfield Town.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Phil Parkinson says Wrexham are aiming high
Speaking ahead of Wrexham’s pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand, Parkinson gave an interview with New Zealand outlet Stuff where he talked about the club, and about the club’s ambitions to reach the Premier League one day.
Parkinson gave an interesting and detailed answer on the matter. He explained: “When, obviously we, Rob or Ryan speak about the club being a Premier League club, and I think quite often they [critics] say, well, ‘Wrexham get carried away with themselves’, but we’re not, because it is achievable, and it has been done before, not in the speed we’re progressing.
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“We’re not naive enough to think that it’s just about buying players at the first-team level. It’s about putting the structure in place in the football club, behind the scenes to build a sustainable club for the future. And a lot of that work is going on behind the scenes with the academy, the new stand being built, developments in all areas of the club.”
Parkinson later added: “It’s achievable and I think in life and football you’ve got to aim high and that’s what we’re going to try and do.”
Last season, Leeds United won the Championship title with an incredible 100 points, as Burnley finished level on 100 points but missing out on goal difference.
And that’s about the highest amount that most teams will achieve in a 46-game Championship campaign. But in recent seasons, 88 points has earned teams promotions to the top flight.
Championship season 1st place points 2nd place points
2024/25 100 100
2023/24 97 96
2022/23 101 91
2021/22 90 88
2020/21 97 91
For Wrexham, they’ll obviously need to put a tonne of points on the board to stand a chance of promotion. But they’ll also need to rely on some of the league’s bigger teams not being up to the mark.
Leicester City in particular are in a bit of a mess right now. But Ipswich Town and Southampton will likely challenge, along with Sheffield United who lost the play-off final last season.