Welcome to Wrexham! Are Ryan Reynolds & Rob Mac locked in ‘golden handcuffs’ after stake sale & questions of what would happen without Hollywood co-owners?

Reynolds and Mac completed their stunning takeover at the Racecourse Ground in 2021. They have guided the Red Dragons from the National League to the Championship, with a historic run of three successive promotions being enjoyed.

A window to the world has been opened up in the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series, with fans being found in every corner of the planet. Commercial revenue has soared as a brand is built to rival Premier League, European and MLS heavyweights.

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Reynolds and Mac no longer boast complete control at Wrexham. They have previously entered into a partnership with the wealthy Allyn family, while Apollo Sports Capital now own a 10 per cent share of the second tier outfit.

Famous faces retain majority control in North Wales, with Reynolds and Mac integral to Wrexham’s past, present and future. If they were to move on, then serious questions would be asked of how interest can be retained while pushing towards the top flight of English football.

With that in mind, it is being suggested that investors will have sought guarantees that Reynolds and Mac are going nowhere. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has told the Price of Football podcast: “The value in Wrexham comes from the connection to Reynolds and Mac and the documentary. The reason why Wrexham sell 100,000 shirts a year is that a huge proportion of those are to people who are fans of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary.

“If you take away Reynolds and Mac, will those people continue to have the same degree of enthusiasm for Wrexham? I think not. Part of the value of the brand of Wrexham is linked to the owners, but the owners are smart enough to realise that as well.

“I would imagine that Apollo and the other American investors probably have some form of golden handcuffs agreement with Reynolds and Mac, which says that you've got to commit to your involvement with the club for at least the next five years, because we might want to extract value going forwards."

He added, with it already being announced that ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ will be back for Season 5 in 2026: “If they get promoted to the Premier League, you've got another series of the programme and that part of the fairy tale is able to continue.”

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Reynolds has previously stated that he and Mac have no intention of severing their emotional and financial ties with Wrexham. The Deadpool actor told the Hollywood Reporter after selling a minority stake to the Allyns: “No, we will remain majority owners. The team is growing faster than anyone expected. There are needs that require a certain type of skill and people who have some experience in growing things.

“We chose the Allyn family because they have similar values that make Wrexham. They've been revitalising towns and communities for many years in upstate New York, and that's why bringing them on didn't cause a big stir.”

Reynolds and Mac said in a joint statement when announcing the deal struck with Apollo - who are already associated with La Liga giants Atletico Madrid: “From day one, we wanted to build a sustainable future for Wrexham Association Football Club and to do it with a little heart and humour. The dream has always been to take this club to the Premier League while staying true to the town.

"Growth like that takes world-class partners who share our vision and ambition, and Apollo absolutely does. We have known Al Tylis, the CEO of Apollo Sports Capital, for many years and are thrilled to now have ASC join the Wrexham family as we take the next step forward together.”

Wrexham, on the back of a record-breaking transfer outlay in the summer of 2025, sit 15th in the Championship table at present - seven points adrift of the play-off places. They will be back in action on Friday when playing host to Sheffield United.