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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Tom Blow

Wrexham coach warns Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney over summer transfer plans

Wrexham will not get "carried away" in the transfer market following their promotion to the English Football League (EFL).

That's according to their assistant manager Steve Parkin, who helped them win the National League title last season. Wrexham picked up a staggering 111 points to claim the only automatic promotion spot, finishing four points ahead of Notts County in second.

Wrexham are owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who want to climb the English football pyramid. The Hollywood actors have invested a significant amount of money in the Welsh club's squad since finalising a takeover in February 2021.

Wrexham's owners have lured England goalkeeper Ben Foster out of retirement and tried to do the same with five-time Champions League winner Gareth Bale. Yet Parkin insists they will spend sensibly this summer ahead of a tough League Two campaign.

"We had the opportunity to alter the squad a little bit last summer and make it as strong as we possibly could, and thankfully we did," said Parkin, as quoted by GOAL.

"Notts County pushed us all the way and we needed that strength in depth right throughout the season to make sure we got the results we needed to get promoted. This season, we want another strong squad; we want to try to improve everything if we can.

"The only way to be successful is to keep improving and keep working hard, keep your feet on the ground and don’t get too carried away but make sure we are determined and really focussed on it hopefully being another successful year."

Phil Parkinson will not spend big this summer (Getty Images)

Wrexham are yet to make their first signing of this summer's transfer window, although they have tied Foster and striker Liam McAlinden down to new contracts. They will be hoping to get some business done ahead of their pre-season tour.

Phil Parkinson's side will tour the United States later this month, with games against Chelsea, LA Galaxy, Manchester United and Philadelphia Union pencilled in. Wrexham are popular across the pond thanks to their docuseries, Welcome to Wrexham.

The Welsh club are the favourites to win League Two following their stunning promotion, with Stockport and Notts County also fancied by the bookies. The latter club won promotion last season by beating Chesterfield in a penalty shootout.

Wrexham are not expected to be too busy in the transfer market, as they already have a strong squad by League Two standards. According to The Athletic, Parkinson is hoping to make three of four signings ahead of another promotion push.

In terms of sales, Wrexham are hoping not to lose any key players. Talented midfielder Tom O'Connor is attracting interest from the Championship, but they hope he will stay. Parkinson is confident his stars believe in the Wrexham project.

Getting out of the National League is difficult, with just two promotion spots up for grabs. Yet four teams get promoted from League Two. Stevenage and Crawley Town have both achieved back-to-back jumps from the National League to League One since 2011.

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