Troy Deeney believes Wrexham’s rise is no fluke and is actually down to their ambitious recruitment strategy.
The Welsh side are currently riding high in League One after back-to-back promotions saw them return to the third tier of English football for the first time in 24 years.
Wrexham’s meteoric rise is showing no signs of slowing downGetty
Since the start of 2022, Wrexham have won more points than any side in the top five divisions, having racked up 212 points on their way to securing promotion from the National League and League Two.
Of course the backing and star power of co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has given Wrexham a financial and morale-boosting lift.
But, according to ex-Premier League striker Deeney – who came up against the Dragons during his stint as Forest Green Rovers manager – their success can be credited to two key areas.
Asked if Wrexham can earn a third-straight promotion, Deeney told talkSPORT Breakfast: “I think so.
“I saw them up close and personal last season with Forest Green so I saw how they do business.
“They’ve got a great manager in Phil Parkinson who knows the leagues and knows how to get promoted, but what they’ve done is try to buy a league above all the time.
“So when they were in the National League they had League Two players, League One players in League Two and now upper-League One and Championship players to come and help.”
Deeney added: “They’ve built an aura. They’re used to winning and that’s hard for most people to appreciate, but once you’re used to winning you just don’t lose. They’ll draw games that they’d probably lose in years gone by.
“They’ve done a great job with the media circus around them, the celebrities turning up and everyone who is sponsoring them, it’s fantastic marketing from the ownership – fair play to them.”
Next up for Wrexham is a crunch clash with fellow promotion favourites Birmingham City – Deeney’s beloved club.
New signings like James McLean have raised the barRex
NFL legend Tom Brady is a minority shareholder in Birmingham whom Wrexham face on MondayGetty
The Blues have an A-list co-owner of their own, with NFL legend Tom Brady among the shareholders at St Andrews.
McElhenney has already predicted that the contest will be an ‘absolute banger’ with both sides desperate to strengthen their hopes of going up this term.
A boyhood Blues fan, Deeney gave a tongue-in-cheek promotion prediction for his former club, stating: “We’re on the way up, we’ll have it wrapped up by January, easy!”
Birmingham City vs Wrexham is exclusively live on Monday night on talkSPORT 2