Throughout the last couple of years, two clubs at the opposite end of the English footballing pyramid have had new North American owners take over.
In the English Premier League, Chelsea was purchased by American business mogul Todd Boehly. In the National League, four tiers down the footballing landscape, Wrexham was purchased by Hollywood megastars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Both clubs have endured contrasting fortunes since the takeovers, but how can one look at the other for sources of inspiration?
Todd Boehly’s Chelsea
Many Blues fans have questioned why Roman Abramovich sold Chelsea. But instead of looking to the past, both they and their new owner need to start looking to the future. Boehly has attempted to do that, forking out a whopping £300m in the January transfer window on a plethora of stars such as João Félix, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Enzo Fernández, and Benoît Badiashile. However, right now the Stamford Bridge club is in disarray, despite the sizable outlay.
They are currently way down in 11th in the Premier League table and without a hope of securing European qualification for next season. They also crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the quarterfinals after being thoroughly outclassed across two legs by Real Madrid. Boehly should take a look at his fellow North Americans who are in charge at Wrexham and follow their lead when it comes to patience and stability.
Wrexham’s Rise
Many were calling for manager Phil Parkinson’s head when he didn’t lead Wrexham to promotion last season. Owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney remained patient, however, and realised that could be a catastrophic decision. Their faith in the manager has been rewarded as Parkinson led the club to promotion at the second time of asking in April 2023.
The blockbuster Hollywood ownership duo have already invested heavily in their new club, however, they may well look to Boehly’s spending spree as evidence that they need to invest further if they are to fire the Red Dragons higher up the English footballing pyramid.
Although following the scenes the club witnessed following the 3-1 home victory against Boreham Wood which secured promotion, Reynolds and McElhenney will have noticed that they have already made their fans and the town of Wrexham happy. With a new stand coming to the Racecourse Ground and a number of marquee players already in the squad, they may get away without pumping millions more pounds into the North Wales outfit.
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The contrasting fortunes of Chelsea and Wrexham’s North American owners