Ryan Reynolds phone calls ‘still weird’ for Wrexham stars as Arthur Okonkwo explains influence of Hollywood co-owners

The Red Dragons saw a stunning takeover of the club completed in 2021, when Reynolds arrived in North Wales alongside Rob McElhenney. They have overseen quite the adventure since then, with back-to-back promotions lifting Wrexham into League One.

Shrewd transfer business has allowed Phil Parkinson’s side to climb the EFL ladder, with Okonkwo among those to have been drafted in. He initially signed on loan from Arsenal in 2023, before returning to SToK Racecourse as a free agent 12 months later.

Okonkwo is fully invested in the most ambitious of projects and has told the Men In Blazers podcast of being in regular contact with superstars of the big screen – such as Deadpool actor Reynolds: “It is weird. It still is weird when he calls me! It’s amazing, and he’s so invested. He wants us to achieve – not only him, but Rob as well. He wants us to achieve everything that we want to achieve and they support us in anything we need. It’s so important to be so involved if you are owners. Not many clubs are like this. I think for a club that is on the way up and everything is going the way that they want, I think it is so important to have owners like this that are so connected and involved.”

Okonkwo added on his decision to link up with Wrexham and when he first bought into the club’s vision: “From the first time that my agent contacted me and told me that it was a possibility. Ryan called me, and he told me the plan and what he wants to get from me and what he wants to experience with the club. When he started telling me about his plans for me, it was an eye-opener. I talked to the manager as well, which was huge, and they said the same things – everything was aligned and it just felt like the right move. I think with my previous two moves, I always went with my heart and it was the same thing with Wrexham.”

Wrexham are now sat second in the League One table, as they look to line up a third successive promotion and another potential trip to Las Vegas. Parkinson’s side are also through to the last-32 of the EFL Trophy, while there is talk of a future route to Europe being opened up by reintroduction into the Welsh Cup.