Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has made it clear to his A-list bosses that now is not the time to rest on their laurels.
The Red Dragons finally returned to the Football League on Saturday night, with their 3-1 win over Boreham Wood securing the National League title. It means the Welsh club will be back in the fourth tier for the first time in 15 years, with desires on continuing to climb the pyramid at a rapid pace.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were in attendance at the Racecourse Ground as their investment into the club continues to reap dividends. After completing their takeover in 2021, the TV and movie stars set their sights on eventually reaching the Premier League, with the plan now firmly in motion.
Clinching promotion sparked wild scenes of celebrations across the weekend, with Reynolds revealing his clothes ‘stunk of champagne’ in the aftermath. But with hangovers and confetti still being cleared, a determined Parkinson immediately turned his attention to building for next season.
"We'll speak to the owners about what we feel we need to improve going forward," said Parkinson. "Myself and Shaun Harvey [advisor to the board] had a chat this morning about contracts of players who are up.
"We'll touch base again towards the end of the week on that. We've got a strong squad that we will have to improve but not by a lot. We'll be looking straight away at players and how the transfer market is looking of course.
"A lot of movement doesn't take place until July and it's more about sounding players out and monitoring all the situations. We've got some quality players and I think we've got to be careful not to get too ahead of ourselves.”
Wrexham will be hoping to emulate the success of last season’s National League champions Stockport County, who are firmly in the mix for a second successive promotion. Parkinson’s charges have immediately been included as one of the League Two frontrunners and the former Bolton and Bradford City boss expects to be challenging.
He added: "We've got to make sure we go into the new season maintaining the incredible work ethic we've got in the group and from the staff. I think we'll be challenging but I'll know more when I get into pre-season and see the shape of the squad."
Parkinson revealed that both Reynolds and McElhenney were in attendance for the promotion parties and teased there was plenty more to come. Reynolds took to social media on Monday to reflect on an emotionally charged weekend.
“Everything I own smells like champagne, beer and grass,” he tweeted. "I’m still somewhere between giggling and sobbing. This town and this sport is one of the most romantic things on earth. Thank you, Wrexham.”
Speaking back in 2021, when they made the trip to the town for the very first time, McElhenney revealed their lofty ambitions. "I don't understand why, if that you can theoretically get there [the Premier League] - we clearly have the structure and the system potentially to allow for us to grow at scale - why not dream big?"
