Wrexham tipped to splash more cash in January transfer window as former Red Dragons boss insists Ryan Reynolds & Rob Mac are 'determined' to achieve Premier League dream

Hollywood co-owners have never shied away from that ultimate goal, with Mac stating that dream in public while Wrexham were climbing out of the lower leagues. Three successive promotions have lifted them out of the National League and into the second tier of English football.

Just one more step up the ladder is required in order to rub shoulders with the elite. Reynolds and Mac have helped to fund a meteoric rise, while opening up a window to the world with the award-winning ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series.

Life in the Championship was never going to be easy, with a record-shattering outlay of more than £30 million ($40m) required in order to get Phil Parkinson’s squad ready for the most testing of divisions.

Assessing the Red Dragons’ efforts so far, Saunders - speaking in association with William Hill - told GOAL: "They have not won that many games, they have had nine draws, which is remarkable. They have drawn loads but that’s alright, it’s a marathon not a sprint - as long as you keep picking points up.

"The loss at Hull gives the manager a chance to go and - maybe there were cracks they were getting away with - he can go in and say it and go ‘right, that run has come to an end, onto the next run’.

"They spent £10m on Nathan Broadhead. Josh Windass and Kieffer Moore can get goals in the Championship, they can play at that level. It’s about getting success at that level. That’s why there are five leagues - players try and climb up the leagues and they stop at the point where they can’t beat the full-backs. In League One, they used to beat the League Two full-backs but now in League One they are finding it hard to make an impact in the game, so they get left out.

"The Championship is another level. You have got players coming down from the Premier League and players who can do a job at that level, and you have also got Championship players who turn up Sat-Tues, Sat-Tues and know what to do and how to prepare in the Championship, because it’s week in, week out.

"You have got to be careful what players you sign. Some Premier League players will be like ‘what is this, we are playing again on Tuesday, Millwall away when it’s raining and it’s a scrap?’ You have got to get players who are prepared to put their foot forward."

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Quizzed on whether it will take another £30m to get Wrexham over the line and into the top-flight, Saunders added - with another window of opportunity set to swing open in the new year: "What can you say to the owners of Wrexham? They have put enough money in, they have enough sponsorship money.

"I never thought they would pay £10m for a footballer, Wrexham. I never paid a penny for a player! My biggest earner was probably Andy Mangan on £1,500-a-week - that was the wage I could go to. Some of them now are on 30 times that.

"They are doing great. If we had asked at the start of the season where do you think Wrexham will finish? You wouldn’t know how to answer it - they might do alright because of the momentum, they might struggle at this level. They are about touching distance from the play-offs. I’m sure they will add some players in January. These lads are determined to get to the Premier League."

Reynolds and Mac always knew that they could not complete Wrexham’s ascent by themselves, with huge sums of money required in order to reach the top of the pyramid. They have sold minority stakes and will continue to speak with any potential investors.

For now the Red Dragons sit 14th in the Championship table, with a nine-game unbeaten run brought to a close last time out at Hull City, but are only four points adrift of the play-off places and a shot at earning the ultimate promotion.