14 October 2023 , 08:00
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How much Wrexham pay their players has been a much-debated topic under the ownership of Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Especially as the pair spent big on the Welsh Club's promotion back to the Football League last season.
The Club's exposure and financial backing allowed it to lure players capable of playing two or three divisions higher than that of the National League - Paul Mullin and Elliot Lee to name two. They even managed to drag ex-England and Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster out of retirement.
Foster had a loan spell at Wrexham in the early years of his career and joined late last season to see the Club's title and automatic promotion push over the line. Now-retired Foster insisted earlier this year that he was on "peanuts", but with a date against The Class of 92-owned Salford City, another well-financed football club, coming up this weekend - the newly-promoted team still outranks them in what they put into their players' bank balances.
According to Salary Sport, Wrexham's yearly wage bill stands at £4.95 million-a-year and just shy of £100,000 a week. Their highest-paid player is George Evans, 28, who joined on a free transfer from Championship mainstay Millwall. Evans earns a reported £9,000-a-week and ex-Premier League star James McClean, who also joined in the summer, isn't too far behind in the £9,000-a-week region
In comparison, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, and David Beckham-backed Salford City have a yearly wage bill of £3.9m and collective weekly salary outgoings of £74,200. Ethan Galbraith earns the most weekly, raking in just shy of £6,000-a-week.
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Despite a handsomely-paid squad, Salford are in their fifth season in League Two and Wrexham will be hoping to not suffer the same fate and be stuck in the fourth tier of English football. Wrexham is currently in playoff contention, sitting pretty in seventh with 12 games played.
Salford City are owned by the likes of David Beckham, Gary Neville, and Paul Scholes (Getty)Last season's National League title rivals Notts County, however, have had a better start to the 23/24 campaign. Notts County occupies the top spot, accumulating 24 points. Reynolds is keen to lower expectations and says the Club is aiming for stability in the Football League before attempting to soar up the English football pyramid.
Last season's National League title rivals Notts County, however, have had a better start to the 23/24 campaign. Notts County occupies the top spot, accumulating 24 points. Reynolds is keen to lower expectations and says the Club is aiming for stability in the Football League before attempting to soar up the English football pyramid.
"That's what you see from Premier League clubs, Championship clubs. We want to walk the walk, even as a fifth-tier club," Reynolds said ahead of their promotion. "We say this all the time, but we want to be in the Premier League, as crazy as that sounds to some people.
"If it is theoretically possible to go from the fifth tier in professional football all the way to the Premier League, why wouldn't we do that? Why wouldn't we use our last drop of blood to get there? We're in it for the ride. This is a multi-decade project."