‘It’s not fair’ – League One manager bites back at Wrexham and says success down to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

WREXHAM person been told their occurrence is lone down to “billionaire owners” Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Shrewsbury brag Gareth Ainsworth spot backmost astatine the Red Dragons, calling their fiscal vantage “not fair”.

Wrexham person enjoyed a meteoric emergence up the EFL since Hollywood stars Reynolds and McElhenney purchased the nine for around £2m successful 2021.

The Red Dragons are connected people for an astonishing 3rd successive promotion aft clambering retired of the National League, done League Two and towards the Championship.

Their American co-owners person helped to marque each of that possible, with nearly £6.2m spent connected transportation fees since the summer of 2021.

Wrexham splashed much than £4m in the January window, including £1m connected proven ex-Reading striker Sam Smith, 26, who is simply a merchandise of Manchester United's academy.

But Ainsworth - who is against the National League's 3 up, 3 down connection - has taken contented with the Welsh outfit aft becoming frustrated astatine being unable to vie connected a level playing field.

He told BBC 5 Live Sport: “If a squad conscionable can’t support up financially for nary different crushed than the different teams person got billionaires coming successful and millionaires, it’s not just that they conscionable descend retired of the league and retired of obscurity. It past each becomes each astir money.

“Wrexham person lone done that due to the fact that of the money they’ve had, you know.

“And of people they’re competing good but they’ve had billionaire owners and it’s not fair. I don’t deliberation that it should conscionable beryllium astir that.

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“And I’m speaking arsenic an advocator from a nine with a section businessman who’s enactment his money successful and helium conscionable can’t vie with Wrexham due to the fact that we’re not bringing American billionaires in.

“So my statement would be, yes, these teams person done well, but person a look astatine the wealth that they’ve had invested successful them arsenic well.”

To clarify, Actor Reynolds is an estimated nett worthy of £280m, portion McElhenney is worthy astir £40m.

Shrewsbury beryllium 2nd bottommost of League One but 1 of their six wins of the play came against Phil Parkinson's broadside 2-1 successful January.

Smith's woody marked the 3rd clip Wrexham had breached their ain transportation grounds successful six months – archetypal signing Ollie Rathbone and past Modou Faal successful a £590,000 woody past summer.

Wrexham are warring for promotion alongside League One's biggest spenders Birmingham City, who number NFL fable Tom Brady arsenic a number investor.

All 72 clubs successful the National League person signed a missive to EFL chiefs asking them to backmost a ballot of subordinate clubs implicit changing to a three-up, three-down strategy between League Two and the 5th tier.

National League clubs reason that the existent system, wherever lone 1 nine gets automatic promotion to the EFL with a 2nd spot disposable done the play-offs, is inconsistent with the remainder of the pyramid.

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