Wrexham vs Birmingham: League One’s most expensive match, live on Sky Sports | Football news

Before the arrival of two Hollywood stars and an NFL legend, the only significant story shared between Wrexham and Birmingham was the £1m The Blues paid for Bryan Hughes in 1997, which remains the Welsh side’s record transfer fee.

Wrexham, owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, are now locked in a promotion battle with leaders Birmingham, who are fueled by the funds of American businessman Tom Wagner and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady.

Jay Stansfield’s double helped Birmingham to a statement win over Wrexham at St Andrew’s in September, but with five points separating the two sides, there is an even greater significance to the second leg.

The celebrities are expected to be in the stands again at the Racecourse Ground on Thursday evening, live on Sky Sportsand there will also be well-paid stars on the pitch for the most expensive League One clash in history.

Wrexham recruitment for promotion planning

Wrexham have won back-to-back promotions from the National League with expensive but clever recruitment. Since 2021, when Reynolds and McElhenney took over, their team value has increased nearly sixfold according to Transfer market.

Their success stems from signing players from higher divisions, laying the groundwork in 2021-22 when they were still a non-league club by adding 10 players from the EFL. The following summer, after missing out on promotion in the National League play-offs, they signed seven more.

“We’ve brought in players who are used to the expectation of winning,” said Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson. Sky Sports. “There are expectations at Wrexham and you have to be able to handle that.

“This is a different club to be in.”

Paul Mullin’s influence as one of those signings has been well documented, but it is the likes of striker Ollie Palmer, who reportedly joined for £300,000, and Elliot Lee, who dropped three divisions from Championship side Luton, who continue to play a central role in their ladder.

Palmer has scored just 11 league goals in his last 64 games, but there’s a reason Parkinson keeps playing him. The 33-year-old is a rambuk who wears down opponents’ defences, connects plays and is the ultimate team player. Only twice this season has he lasted 90 minutes.

Lee, a diminutive midfielder who started his career at West Ham, has a knack for scoring important goals, scoring 15 in his first season and then 16 last term. He has six this season and five have come in wins.

Then there are the likes of ex-Derby striker Jack Marriott and ex-Premier League duo Steven Fletcher and James McClean, who all signed before Wrexham had kicked a ball back in League Two.

Wrexham invested again last summer, paying fees for five players who have collected five EFL promotions between them for a reported total of £2m, including a believed club-record £500,000 for West Brom’s Mo Faal, who has only made seven league appearances this season.

Success is not cheap…

Wrexham lost 5.1 million. £ during the 2022–23 season, which ended with the club being relegated to League Two. This means that in their first two full seasons under Reynolds and McElhenney the club has lost over £8m. The accounts for up to June 2024 will be published in the spring.

The wage bill rose from £4.05m in the 2021–22 season to £6.9m when they won the National League title, while total revenue rose from £5.97m to £10.47m.

The effect of Welcome to Wrexham Documentary about the club’s global profile saw retail trade rise from 1.3 million GBP to 3.4 million GBP, where the club received 2.58 million.

However, the conspicuous losses are expected to decrease now that the new ownership is in its fourth year. Revenue has reportedly increased significantly in the last 12 months, with the club said to expect total revenue to exceed £20m after landing lucrative sponsorship deals with United Airlines and SToK Coffee Brew.

Wrexham also welcomed the Allyn family, who made their fortune through Welch Allyn, the global medical equipment maker, as new minority investors in October.

Is Wrexham’s stadium big enough for the Championship?

The Racecourse Ground, where Thursday’s clash takes place, has a capacity of 13,341.

Wrexham’s average attendance has been 12,869 this season – the fifth highest in League One – with almost every game sold out. Their average total would place them third in the Championship entry table.

The club has plans to rebuild the 5,500-capacity Kop, which was demolished in January 2023, after being unused and derelict since 2007, and replaced with 3,000 temporary seats.

A new architect – Populous – who has worked on the likes of Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Principality Stadium, has been appointed to redesign the stand which was originally planned to open in time for this season.

It will include a safe stand, hospitality and accessible seating and be fully compliant with UEFA’s Category 4 stadium requirements, with a target completion date of 2026. McElhenney has spoken of raising the capacity to 50,000.

Birmingham’s new era begins

While Wrexham have been rebuilding, Birmingham are rebuilding after relegation from the Championship. Their takeover in the summer of 2023 led to an unexpected setback which has not dampened their ambitions.

Along with a £58m cash injection, the new owners plan to build a new stadium after buying 60 hectares of land about a mile from St. Andrew’s.

Birmingham also showed their intent last summer, signing 13 first-team players for a total of £20m and smashing the League One transfer record by signing striker Stansfield for more than £15m from Fulham.

The 21-year-old striker was on loan at the club in 2023/24, scoring 13 goals and providing three assists in all competitions, and he has scored 12 league goals in 21 games this term.

Alfie May, League One’s Golden Boot winner last season, joined from Charlton for an undisclosed fee and has 10 goals, as do goalkeepers Ryan Allsop and Bailey Peacock-Farrell and one player each from Celtic, Hearts and Rangers.

The Blues cashed in on academy product Jordan James, selling him for a reported £8million, and manager Chris Davies has warned Wrexham that his side are more settled now than when they first met.

“We were a fledgling team at the time,” Davies said Sky Sports. “We’ve come a long way since then.”

Birmingham are unbeaten in their last 14 matches across all competitions and have won 12 since suffering a shock defeat at Shrewsbury in the league.

But Davies has ruled out Seung-Ho Paik and Willum Willumsson for the Wrexham encounter and they are also expected to be without midfielder Tomoki Iwata. The trio have all been regulars.

Wrexham, meanwhile, could be without McClean after he was involved in a car crash on his way to training on Wednesday morning.

The hosts were beaten at Shrewsbury last time out and have lost two of their last three, which has seen them lose ground at both Wycombe and Birmingham.

Something has to give.

Watch Wrexham vs Birmingham live on Sky Sports Main Event and Football from 19.00 on Thursday; kick-off at 20:00