'True storytelling genius' - Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny hailed by Birmingham owner as Tom Wagner aims to emulate Wrexham's success with Tom Brady

The Blues found themselves locked in a League One promotion battle with the Red Dragons in 2024-25. Both sides are on their way to the Championship. Birmingham claimed the third tier title in record-breaking style, collecting 111 points, while Wrexham have rewritten the history books with a third successive promotion.

Hollywood co-chairmen in North Wales have continued to generate plenty of interest, courtesy of on-field success at the award-winning ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series, with a blueprint for how to build a brand - particularly in the United States - being drawn up.

Birmingham are taking inspiration from their EFL rivals, with Wagner telling The i Paper: “Purely on the commercial side, it would be impossible to say anyone has done it better than Wrexham, who have created extraordinary revenue streams out of thin air.

“That is no mistake. It’s a true storytelling genius that Ryan and Rob have brought to that club, and I think it’s to be admired and certainly, to a degree, emulated.”

Birmingham boast their own A-list investor, in the form of seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, and continue to put his profile to good use. Wagner added on what the NFL legend brings to St Andrew’s: “His area of focus is sports performance, which includes nutrition, hydration, recovery, the mental philosophy behind success and a winning mentality, culture. Those are all things Tom participates in.

“One of the areas he has been most often misjudged is during his playing career, his ability to drive culture and to attract players that brought the right winning culture to his organisations. If you need any proof of that, just look at the success, or lack thereof, of the NFL franchises for whom he played after his departure.”

Much like Wrexham - who are preparing to redevelop their iconic Racecourse home - Birmingham are piecing together ambitious plans for the future that include a new 62,000-seater stadium and return to the Premier League.