'There is a risk' - Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac warned of major problem to Wrexham owners' Premier League dream

After overseeing back-to-back-to-back promotions, Wrexham find themselves just one rung below the Premier League in the Championship. Mac has said publicly that getting Wrexham into the English top flight has "always been our goal" while also admitting the prospect is "exciting and terrifying." Meanwhile, former Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster has claimed the Welsh side could make it into the promised land of the Premier League "within five years." However, Wrexham must first find a way out of the Championship and currently sit down in 18th place in the table, already nine points behind leaders Coventry, after just nine games played.

While Reynolds and Mac continue to dream of seeing Wrexham playing the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League they have been offered a reality check. Former Liverpool chief executive officer Peter Moore, who provides strategic guidance to the Wrexham board, told the World Football Summit in Madrid that Wrexham's rapid rise does bring issues. He said: "There is a risk [of growing too fast at Wrexham] in that you have to keep up financially and the stadium is too small. If you're going to keep up economically, your gameday revenues are critical and a 12,000 capacity doesn't cut it." 

Wrexham's stadium currently has a capacity of just 10,500, making it the smallest ground in the Championship for the 2025-26 season. Yet the club do have big plans to renovate and increase capacity. A new all-seater Kop stand will see the SToK Cae Ras expand and be able to accommodate just over 18,000 fans. Wrexham's plan for their home ground is is for the club to be able to also host international and high-profile fixtures, potentially even including Women's World Cup 2035 games. A capacity of 18,000 would not only increase revenue for Wrexham but would make their home ground bigger than both Premier League sides Brentford and Bournemouth.

Wrexham chief executive Michael Williamson has spoken about the plans for the new Kop stand and hopes it will become an "iconic landmark." He told the club's website of how important the development will be for Wrexham: "The new Kop Stand marks a special moment in the history of the SToK Cae Ras, allowing us to restore the traditional four-sided enclosure of the stadium, providing new and improved facilities and experiences for our fans and visitors to the stadium alike. It will provide an iconic landmark standing at the gateway to the city giving it a true sense of place. The upgrading of facilities to meet UEFA Category 4 specifications are central to our wider vision of bringing international sport back to Wrexham and the benefit this will bring to the local community of hosting these events in North Wales."

Wrexham hope the new Kop stand will be ready by summer 2026.

Wrexham have endured a tricky start to life in the Championship and Parkinson has admitted his team have been playing catch-up. "Of course, we have spent money this summer but we have come into a division which clubs like Stoke, West Brom and Norwich have been building strong structures for years," he said.  They have got category one academies who are producing players so we have been playing catch-up each time we have got promoted. To be competitive at this level, we have had to bring in a core of Championship-ready players because as everybody knows, it is an unforgiving level."

The Welsh side have managed just two wins so far in 2025-26 and another tough fixture awaits on Saturday when Wrexham take on fifth placed Stoke City. The Red Dragons then head home for a visit from strugglers Oxford United.