‘Rihanna hanging off his arm’ – Why ‘odd marriage’ with A$AP Rocky can deliver Wrexham-esque rewards for Tranmere as they follow Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney blueprint

The Red Dragons have benefited considerably from having Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in their boardroom, with an award-winning documentary series opening up a window to the world off the pitch as back-to-back promotions have been enjoyed on it.

Several other famous faces have invested in British football, including NFL legend Tom Brady at Birmingham and Anchorman actor Will Ferrell with Leeds. There is now talk of rap star A$AP Rocky, with his partner Rihanna potentially being invited along to games, forming part of a bid to seize control at League Two side Tranmere.

Former EFL star Jobi McAnuff is surprised by the rumours, but sees benefits to them. He has told the Football Daily 72+ EFL Podcast: “There are certain clubs throughout the pyramid that you do look at with the history behind them, the stadiums, just clubs that are in the doldrums a little bit, but obviously (have) that potential to really get back to a level that maybe historically they've been at before, and again it's about growth isn't it really, in terms of the commercial aspect of it. And I think, when you're looking at a club like Tranmere, you'd certainly say that potential is very much there.

“It's a bit of an odd sort of marriage I suppose, a pretty famous rapper from America who's got Rihanna hanging off his arm. But again, I think we've seen the positive impact it's had at the likes of Wrexham. As long as they come in, and they take into account, again, all those brilliant historical aspects of those football clubs, and keep the fans at heart, if it's investment, and it's going to push the club forward, then why not?”

Tranmere are currently sat in the bottom-half of the fourth tier table, but are a club with a rich history and – much like Wrexham – have spent time outside of the Football League before bouncing back and drawing up ambitious plans for the future.