Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has totally transformed Wrexham since buying the clib in November 2020.
The Hollywood superstars have ploughed money into the National League club in a bid to win promotion to League Two. They currently sit second in the table, with a titanic clash against promotion rivals Notts County to come on Easter Monday.
As part of their revamp, the duo have moved to bring in a host of players from EFL clubs to burgeon the Red Dragons' promotion chances. That has led to a rapid rise in the wage bill at the Racecourse Ground, to match the status of the players who have been signed.
Their three star arrivials over the past two years have been Ben Tozer from Cheltenham Town, Aaron Hayden from Carlisle United and Paul Mullin, who had set a new goalscoring record for League Two before his move to Wales.
The trio have been well-rewarded for their decision to drop down a division to feature for Wrexham. According to Sporting News, who have detailed some of the bigger earners on the Wrexham wage bill, both Tozer and Hayden both earn in the region of £3,000 per week.
Mullin raised that bar after his arrival from Cambridge United, signing a deal worth £4,500 per week. The £375,000 move for Ollie Palmer is the only transfer fee Wrexham have paid out since the takeover.
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Instead, they have focused on bringing in players who have reached the end of their contracts. Tozer, Hayden and Mullin all fit into that category, as well as Jordan Tunnicliffe and Elliot Lee, who signed last summer.
Ben Foster is the latest big name to have joined the club, coming out of retirement on a short-term deal. The former Watford keeper has insisted though that his wage is not of an extortiant level.
"I don’t need much [money]," Foster said on his podcast, 'The Fozcast'.
"To be honest, the negotiations took about five minutes. Wages wise, it’s literally peanuts… the part for me is getting the team over the line and getting them promoted."
As well as bumper wage packets, Reynolds and McElhenney will also hand out huge bonuses if Wrexham are promoted. Executive director Humphrey Ker recently revealed each player will receive £250,000 if they finish top of the National League.
“Rob and Ryan wanted to recognise the players’ confidence that they can reach this season’s play-offs and provide an added financial incentive to achieve this," Ker said.
"There was no obligation to address this, but it felt like the right thing to do in order to support the existing playing squad who are all playing for their futures at the club."
