Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney end transfer trend that helped to secure Paul Mullin - with Hollywood co-owners taking more of a back seat

When luring a proven Football League striker to SToK Racecourse in 2021, Hollywood co-owners in North Wales were a matter of months into their reign. Few knew what to expect at that stage, with fears of a short-term gimmick - caught on camera by the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series - being raised.

Mullin was among those initially sceptical of goings on in Wrexham - much like record-breaking manager Phil Parkinson - but was talked into making a move after speaking directly with Reynolds and McElhenney.

They were used to entice more top talent to the Racecourse as a meteoric rise delivered three successive promotions, but the Wrexham story now sells itself - which means A-list chairmen can take more of a back seat.

Club director Shaun Harvey, who has been part of the project since day one, told the Fearless In Devotion podcast of getting fresh faces on board: "Rob and Ryan do speak to all of them, but it's usually afterwards. Famously, they did speak with Paul Mullin to tell him that they were serious.

"When we were in the National League, they did need to become more involved to convince players that this wasn't just a scam. They don't need to get on a telephone call now to tell players that we're serious. They can see that for themselves.

"The agents ring us now so we don't need to deploy them as much because of that. But they certainly speak to every single player very quickly after we sign them."

Another busy summer is on the cards at Wrexham, as they prepare for life in the Championship, with the Red Dragons already being linked with Premier League title winner Jamie Vardy, Fulham captain Tom Cairney and Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien.

Harvey added on pursuing free agents, with targets still in the process of being identified: "So in those circumstances, there’s lists no doubt prepared of players in each position, no doubt for different divisions, that we know are coming out of contract at the end of this season that will be of interest to us.

"So do not be surprised if the first signings you see are players who are coming out of contract. And the reason for that is that they represent the best value."

Wrexham are reported to have plenty of room for manoeuvre when it comes to spending, as they comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, and space in Parkinson’s squad has already been freed up following the release of veteran duo Steven Fletcher and Mark Howard.