WHAT HAPPENED? The Dragons continue to make headlines around the world as a result of having Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as co-owners. While there is plenty of interest in goings on off the field in North Wales, Wrexham have been faring admirably on it and claimed the National League title in record-breaking style last season. They have made no secret of the fact that they want to be rubbing shoulders with the top-flight elite at some stage – and Luton have shown that anything is possible having gone from the fifth tier of English football to the first in the space of 10 memorable years.
WHAT THEY SAID: Parkinson has said of Wrexham doing likewise: “When you look at teams like Luton, who have gone up, you have to say ‘why not?’ You have to [believe it can be done], because Luton were in this position, so I don’t think it’s a case of us getting carried away with it ourselves. If you understand that you need to build a club properly and put the foundations in place, like Luton Town have done, then why can’t Wrexham emulate them one day?
“Years ago Bournemouth, under Eddie Howe, were on the brink of going out of business, and got into the Premier League. Blackpool have also got into the Premier League, so there’s lots of examples. So why not Wrexham? But at the moment we’re concentrating on the start of this season. It’s very exciting for us. I think League Two is going to be a good one this year. Teams like Gillingham, Mansfield, Bradford – Notts County coming up – are all spending money because they’ve all looked at us and thought ‘we need to up our game a little bit, because it’s going to be a bit more competitive’.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Reynolds and McElhenney have – after pumping considerable funds into Wrexham as a club and community – stated on a regular basis that they want to see the Dragons reach the Premier League during their time at the helm.
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WHAT NEXT? For now, Wrexham are enjoying lining up against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United as part of their pre-season tour of America – with the Red Devils set to be faced in San Diego on Tuesday evening.