Plastic nipples?! Why Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney are different to other owners as Wrexham director explains how Hollywood superstars broke the mould

A couple of Hollywood superstars arrived at SToK Racecourse in February 2021 when completing a stunning takeover. They have overseen a trip to Wembley, back-to-back promotions and numerous marquee transfer deals since then.

Reynolds and McElhenney are invested emotionally and financially in the Red Dragons, but are prepared to accept that they know little about running a professional football club. With that in mind, egos have been put to one side as the right people are found to fill certain roles.

That is not always the case when takeovers are completed, with executive director Ker telling BBC Radio 2: “One of the things that Rob and Ryan have been really clever about, really sensible about, is putting people who know what they are doing in place and letting them get on with it. Ultimately, when it comes to transfers, when it comes to tactics, when it comes to anything that is happening on the football side of things, that is left entirely to Phil Parkinson and Steve Parkin and all the people that know what they are doing and are qualified in that respect. We brought Shaun Harvey and Fleur Robinson in, people who had 50 years cumulative experience of working in football. We have been advised by Les Reed, who was the FA technical director. We were like ‘you know what you’re doing, please tell us what to do’. I think there is often that temptation when people buy football clubs like ‘well, I made millions of pounds making plastic nipples for baby bottles and therefore my understanding of plastic nipples is definitely going to stretch for me’. Without naming names, because we might want to loan some of their players, there are clubs where you see that happening.”

Wrexham are in the process of piecing together transfer plans for the summer of 2024, with Reynolds and McElhenney making more funds available. The intention is to ensure that the Red Dragons – who continue to star in their own documentary series – will be fiercely competitive in League One next season.