05 January 2024 , 14:36
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Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has revealed the club's blueprint for eventually achieving the ambitions of chairmen Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney by reaching the Premier League.
The Red Dragons have made a strong start to life back in the EFL, currently sitting third in the League Two table after 25 games played. Following 15 years away from the fourth tier, their stay could prove brief, with the North Wales outfit on course to challenge for back-to-back promotions.
This will be music to the ears of the club's Hollywood co-owners, who have made no secret of their dream of bankrolling the historic club to eventually compete in the upper echelons of the Football League pyramid. After completing their shock takeover back in 2020, they have helped to make Wrexham a household name the world over - while ushering in a period of success on the field.
Speaking last year, Reynolds confirmed the club's lofty ambitions in an interview with BBC Sport, saying: "The plan is now, and has always been, the Premier League. I can't really put a date on that. But if it's theoretically possible to go from fifth division to Premier League, why wouldn't we do it?"
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Now, head coach Parkinson has given his own slant on whether his world-famous owners are misguided in their aspirations. Justifying Reynolds' previous assertions, the 56-year-old, referenced the rise of current Premier League side Luton Town to suggest that the club's current objectives are not unrealistic.
Speaking to Four Four Two, he said: "We’re certainly not looking any further than the next game, but I said recently that, eventually, I don’t think the Premier League is impossible – look at Luton Town. They got there with a brilliant structure behind the scenes, they gradually put building blocks in place, they made good decisions and got their rewards.
"There are clubs who try to achieve success and put themselves at huge risk financially by doing that, but this club isn’t one of them. The owners and myself want to create a club that’s strong for years to come. If we keep recruiting well, I hope there’s more to come."
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney appointed Phil Parkinson as Wrexham manager in 2021 (Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)The reigning National League champions have steadily recruited during the reign of Reynolds and McElhenney, capturing the services of high-profile names along the way. Showing how the project appears to be striking a chord within the game, former Premier League stars Ben Foster, Steven Fletcher and James McLean are among those who have been swooned in recent times.
With a masterplan having been put in place from the club's owners, it appears that the Wrexham hierarchy are taking a methodical approach to ensuring success. Going into more detail about the Racecourse Ground outfit's long-term strategy, it is clear that Parkinson is now eager to develop talent from within.
"Getting back into the Football League was also key for our academy – we’ve employed a lot of quality people recently and that will be crucial, because you’ve got to produce players yourselves," he acknowledged as he revealed that the club is now beginning to work on establishing a production line, adding: "That only really started properly this summer."