Rob McElhenney says footballers from other leagues want to join Wrexham as club is linked to Premier League stars

Rob McElhenney claims footballers across the leagues want to play for Wrexham after seeing the buzz around the club.

The Red Dragons, co-owned by McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, have secured promotion to the Football League after 15 years away.

Phil Parkinson's side accrued a record 111 points to win the National League title and have even been tipped to achieve back-to-back promotions given the quality of their squad.

McElhenney and Reynolds have been trying to convince Gareth Bale to come out of retirement, while the Welshman's former teammate Hal Robson-Kanu has said he will play for free.

And McElhenney claims there are a lot more players across the pyramid who wish to be part of the Wrexham project.

Image: Alamy

"People want to play for this club and they all talk," the 46-year-old said on the Fearless in Devotion podcast.

"All the players talk across the leagues and they see what's going on at Wrexham.

"And they want to come and play for Phil [Parkinson] and play for Wrexham - not just because of the fame of the documentary or because we're on ESPN or because Ryan's tweeting about them, it's because there's a camaraderie being built and a culture that's being built.

"I find it so fascinating and I kept saying this over and over, it's a reflection of you guys [the fans] and we're just facilitators of that.

"It's not that Ryan and I have set the culture, we've listened to the town, we listen to the administrators, the manager and the players. And we just facilitate that."

Image: Alamy

Wrexham have released 11 players after finally getting back in the big time, with a series of new arrivals expected.

They are reportedly rivalling Championship clubs for Cheltenham Town striker Alfie May, who scored 20 goals in League One and is one of the EFL's hottest forwards.

Ben Foster's situation is yet to be resolved and will be decided in the near future, despite a "verbal agreement" with Reynolds after coming out of retirement in March.

The Hollywood pair paid £2 million to buy Wrexham but the Welsh outfit is now said to be worth three times that thanks to hugely successful sponsorship deals with TikTok, Aviation American Gin, Expedia and Vistaprint.

Topics: Rob McElhenney, Wrexham, Premier League, Ryan Reynolds

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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