After five years with Reynolds and Mac, Wrexham stands on the brink of Premier League promotion.

WREXHAM, Wales — Mickey Thomas continues to be recognized for scoring the most iconic goal in Wrexham’s history, even after five years of the Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds era that has propelled the club toward the Premier League.

Nothing has surpassed Thomas’s free-kick goal in a 2-1 FA Cup victory over Arsenal in January 1992, when Wrexham — who had finished last in the Football League, in 92nd place, just six months prior — eliminated the reigning league champions at the Racecourse Ground. However, Thomas acknowledges that his legendary goal may soon be overshadowed by even more significant moments, given Wrexham’s remarkable ascent from the fifth-tier National League to the EFL Championship play-off positions since Rob and Ryan finalized their £2 million acquisition on February 9, 2021.

“Wrexham have become a runaway train since Rob and Ryan arrived,” Thomas told ESPN. “I’ve been involved in football for a long time, and I’ve witnessed a lot, but this rise has left me in awe. The astonishing aspect is that Wrexham could potentially face Arsenal in the Premier League next season.

“Reflecting on that cup match in 1992 and everything that has transpired for Wrexham since, with its ups and downs, the possibility is truly remarkable. It would be the greatest football narrative ever.”

On the day the takeover was officially announced five years ago, following the duo receiving approval to finalize the deal in November 2020, Wrexham achieved a 2-1 away victory against Altrincham, climbing to seventh in the National League. Currently, they sit 73 places higher in the English football hierarchy and could ascend to fifth place, just three spots shy of automatic promotion, with a win at home against Millwall on Saturday.

After three consecutive promotions, starting with their rise from the National League to the EFL in 2023, Wrexham’s story may be on the verge of another remarkable chapter.

“Is the infrastructure of this club behind the scenes prepared for the Premier League, and would there be a significant amount of work required [if we reach that level]?” Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson told ESPN. “Certainly, but wouldn’t it be fantastic to have that opportunity? You might argue we weren’t ready for Division One, definitely not the Championship, but in football, you continuously evolve as you progress.”

When Wrexham disclosed their latest annual financial results in March 2025, which indicated a 155% increase in annual revenue to £26.7 million during their first year back in the EFL after 15 years in the National League, the accounts featured a declaration of intent from the directors. “The owners aim to develop the team and establish Wrexham AFC as a Premier League club in front of larger crowds and in an upgraded stadium,” the statement read.

Five years since the beginning, the journey from Altrincham to Arsenal is nearly complete, with Rob and Ryan rapidly advancing toward each of those goals.

Phil Parkinson was the initial game-changer for Wrexham. His appointment as manager in July 2021 provided immediate credibility to the Rob and Ryan initiative and demonstrated their commitment to revitalizing the club.

Parkinson was an established EFL manager with promotions on his resume at Colchester and Bolton. In 2013, he achieved the extraordinary by leading League Two’s Bradford City to the EFL Cup final, defeating Premier League teams Arsenal and Aston Villa along the way. Those achievements meant he already had “miracle worker” on his CV, but joining Wrexham represented a risk for Parkinson.

“There’s always an element of risk because if you drop into the National League as a manager and it doesn’t go well, where do you go from there?” Parkinson remarked. “However, the more I explored and conversed with the owners, I realized how serious they were.

“Sometimes when you take a managerial position, you consider what could be accomplished — the potential here is immense. Since my arrival, it’s been quite a roller-coaster. I don’t think you can describe it any other way. It’s been incredible to witness the club’s transition from the National League to the Championship, but I believe Rob and Ryan have delivered on everything they’ve promised.”

The highlight of Rob and Ryan’s five years at the club is undoubtedly the three promotions. No club has ever achieved three consecutive promotions in the history of English football, which dates back to its inaugural season in 1888, but these successes have coincided with rapid changes both on and off the field.

Since February 2021, 66 new players have joined Stok Cae Ras, at a total expenditure of £38.8 million, while 76 have departed the club for no fee as free transfers or loans — including Paul Mullin, the goalscoring hero of the first two promotions, who transferred to Bradford City last week after spending the first half of this season on loan at Wigan. Ollie Palmer, another key player in the early promotions, was a £300,000 club record signing from AFC Wimbledon in January 2022, but he is now competing in League Two for Swindon Town.

Wrexham’s squad transformation has seen their transfer spending increase significantly. Sam Smith surpassed Palmer as the record signing when he arrived for £2 million from Reading last January, but Smith was then overtaken by Nathan Broadhead when the Wales forward completed a £7.5 million transfer from Ipswich Town last August. Change has become a constant, and at an accelerated pace. Parkinson acknowledges that while this is a crucial aspect of the team’s development, Wrexham is committed to ensuring that those players who contributed to the early promotions are treated with respect.

“It’s been a challenge,” Parkinson stated. “We aim to recruit players who, if we advance, would continue with us, and we’ve sought to bring in that quality, but there are always players you need to upgrade at each level, so some individuals who have been exceptional for us have moved on. We’ve had to make difficult choices and let players go — players who have been absolute legends for this club.

“However, when you progress as rapidly as we have, that change must occur more swiftly than we typically anticipate. That is a challenging aspect of the role, but all you can do in such situations is sit down, communicate respectfully, and ensure that when they depart, it is done appropriately.

“But you must continue to evolve as a squad because if you remain stagnant, others will surpass you.”

For incoming players, the allure of Wrexham — a club on the rise with Hollywood glamour added — is evident.

“The immediate appeal was obviously everything on the pitch, success with promotions, being part of a winning culture, and a team that has advanced to the Championship for the first time,” George Thomason, a £1.2 million signing from Bolton last summer, told ESPN. “But everyone is aware of the external excitement surrounding the owners and similar factors. Witnessing the commitment and the spirit and culture surrounding the club was something truly special.

“I was thrilled when I learned of Wrexham’s interest. They aspire to reach the very top, and that’s something that excites every footballer.”

The “Welcome to Wrexham” documentary series, which has followed the team’s ascent through the divisions since Season One, first aired in 2022, has helped bring global attention to the club by highlighting both the sporting drama and the off-field narratives of supporters and the local community. However, while Wrexham has become a worldwide brand, their stadium remains an outdated lower league facility.

When ESPN met Parkinson and Thomason at the stadium, a lack of amenities meant that interviews were conducted in a staff kitchen located in one of the stands, and the stadium, which has hosted football since 1864, would require a multi-million pound renovation just to meet Premier League standards. While teams only need a minimum capacity of 5,000, with 2,000 seats, to fulfill basic Premier League requirements, they must also have high-intensity floodlights for broadcasting, designated areas for cameras and media, and secure segregation for supporters.

When Luton Town was promoted to the Premier League in 2023, the club invested £8 million in stadium enhancements to ensure their Kenilworth Road venue — which featured an entrance nestled between houses and a footbridge over a garden — complied with top-flight standards. At Wrexham, construction has commenced on a new 7,500-capacity Kop Stand, which will increase the stadium’s capacity to 18,000, but it is not expected to be completed for several months.

“The delivery date is early 2027,” Wrexham CEO Michael Williamson informed ESPN. “However, the reality is that the finished version of the new stand will likely not be available until the 2027-28 season, so we could find ourselves in the Premier League next season with only 10,500 seats.”

Nonetheless, once completed, the new stand will align with the glitz and glamour of Wrexham’s Hollywood owners, having been designed by Populous, the stadium architects responsible for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Lusail Stadium, which hosted the 2022 World Cup final, and The Sphere in Las Vegas.

“The connection with The Sphere was certainly a compelling selling point for Rob and Ryan,” a source told ESPN. “They are both fully engaged with the details, and even the choice of Ruabon red brick for the stand was made with their desire to honor local tradition.” (Ruabon is a small town 10 miles from Wrexham, known for producing terracotta-colored bricks from local clay.)

Despite the challenges ahead off the field, Wrexham is prepared to confront them head-on. “There is no roadmap for this,” Williamson stated. “Achieving successive promotions from the National League to the Premier League is something no other club in the history of English football has accomplished.

“When we were in League One, I told Rob and Ryan, ‘Let’s aim for the Championship as quickly as possible because otherwise, you risk getting stuck in League One.’ They embraced that idea. We invested in a squad and managed to secure that promotion. We were racing all of last season off the pitch, and across all other areas of the organization, and we’re racing to ensure we can survive in the Championship and build to a level where we can sustain ourselves in that league.

“Ultimately, if we reach the Premier League, we are racing again to be prepared to compete at that level.”

So what lies ahead for Wrexham? Is it a matter of when, rather than if, they will reach the Premier League?

On the field, Parkinson’s team is in the midst of the play-off race, positioning Wrexham well to realize their latest aspiration this season. Off the field, the workforce and personnel recruited by Rob and Ryan reflect the clear ambition of joining the elite of English football. Williamson was appointed as CEO two years ago, having previously worked at DC United, Inter Milan, and Inter Miami, while chief business and communications officer Rob Faulkner joined in December 2024 after roles at UEFA, Inter Milan, and the European Club Association (ECA).

“Rob and Ryan have made their ambitions clear from their very first interviews, stating their desire to elevate Wrexham to the Premier League,” Williamson noted. “At the time, many laughed at them, but here we are, just six places away from being a Premier League club. Our focus must be on ensuring that once we arrive there [PL], we can remain there. This includes growth in various areas. It means expanding our staffing, as we’ve increased from 40 permanent employees to over 140 in under 20 months.

“It is a sprint, not a marathon. I would like to reach the marathon stage at some point, but it is a constant sprint. However, I can say that since Rob and Ryan’s arrival, we’ve been sprinting, and we are quite adept at it.”

Remarkably, Wrexham has transformed into a global brand despite never having previously competed in the top tier. Before the Rob and Ryan takeover, their only notable achievement was reaching the quarter-finals of the European Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1975-76. However, they have become a phenomenon over the past five years, something that former player Thomas admits surprises him daily.

“I played for Manchester United and still work for the club on match days at Old Trafford, but wherever I go, people only want to discuss Wrexham,” Thomas remarked. “I believe people have embraced the narrative so much that the club is now as prominent as any Premier League team in the United States.”

Wrexham’s commercial strength is also likely to attract the Premier League, with the prospect of Hollywood celebrities soon joining the ranks.

“Most international fans wouldn’t distinguish between a Fulham, a Bournemouth, or even a West Ham,” Omar Chaudhuri, chief intelligence officer of Twenty First Group, London-based commercial brand advisors, told ESPN. “However, if a team emerges that has a compelling narrative, you draw viewers to those matches that you might not otherwise attract in a typical season.

“Particularly in the U.S., there will be a substantial audience that recognizes a connection with this team, so whenever Wrexham is on television, you can expect an increase in viewers, which certainly holds value for the league. If you’re a Premier League club owner, you would welcome that kind of attention.”

When Rob and Ryan took over Wrexham, the club depended on local sponsors and partners not only for commercial revenue but for financial survival. They have since transitioned from local entities like Ifor Williams Trailers to global corporations such as United Airlines and Meta Quest, securing multi-million pound agreements that are likely to expand if Wrexham ascends to the Premier League. Their commercial strength now supports both their current achievements and future aspirations.

“There are top six clubs in the Premier League that would covet the brand connection we have in North America,” Williamson stated. “The possibilities are limitless regarding what we can continue to achieve, but the key to our success has been, and will need to remain, our commitment to our local community values.

“Some Championship clubs enter the playoffs and suddenly find themselves, ‘Oh wow, we got promoted and we’re in the Premier League without actually planning for it.’ That’s likely the most significant difference here. Even though we face infrastructure challenges compared to some historic Championship clubs, our mindset is that we are preparing ourselves to arrive there because that is our expectation.”

It has taken five years to reach this stage, but Wrexham may now achieve their ultimate goal in less than five months.