Wrexham captain Luke Young has admitted he had to be convinced of the intentions of the club’s famous owners – and he’s issued a warning to the pair for the future.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have transformed the fortunes of the Red Dragons since staging their takeover back in 2020 – with the club now boasting a global following. Success on the pitch has come in the form of promotion back to the EFL after a 15-year absence last season, while the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ has brought the Welsh outfit to fresh audiences.
Still, their path to transform Wrexham from a non-league side into a glamorous name with an inter-continental appeal has not been without its challenges. Perhaps the first major hurdle for the club’s co-chairmen to overcome came as they looked to convince key personnel in the dressing room that their plans for success were legitimate.
Now, Wrexham skipper Young has described the experience of the new owners first arriving at the club, while admitting he initially had some doubts that needed to be extinguished. Speaking to the Athletic, the midfielder confessed: “I’ll admit my first response when I found out it was Rob and Ryan buying the club was to think, ‘Why Wrexham?'”
Yet Young added: “But you look at everything those two have done since buying the club, from top to bottom, and it has all been done with the intention of giving the club the best chance of success.”
Young also called Reynolds and McElhenney “great people” who “you can have a great conversation with”. And he confirmed they “reply straight away” when messaged.
With the Wrexham stalwart’s contract up in the summer, it remains to be seen whether his journey in north Wales will come to a close in the coming months. As the club chases a second successive promotion, however, Young gave an honest assessment as he warned Reynolds and McElhenney that success may not come as quickly as they may be hoping.
The club mainstay admitted: “This being football, there will be a bump in the road at some stage. Hopefully, not this season, as we want to get this second promotion, but there will be a time when things level out a little bit. Then, it is how everyone involved at the club – not just the owners – react to that and then how they push on again.”
Currently, Wrexham sit in the third and final automatic promotion slot in League Two after 39 games played, with MK Dons hot on their tails in fourth. Potentially facing up to the prospect of departing the club at the end of this term, though, Young is clear that he is simply focusing on making the most of every game from now until the end of the campaign.
He added: “You never know what is just around the corner in football… Being here for so long, whatever happens, this club will always have a place in my heart… For now, I’m just focused on the games. Everyone’s goal is to get promotion.”
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