Before the arrival of two Hollywood stars and an NFL legend, the only significant history between Wrexham and Birmingham was the £1m the Blues paid for Brian Hughes in 1997, which remains the most a Welsh side has ever received transfer fee record.

Wrexham, owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is locked in a promotion battle with leaders Birmingham, which is owned by US businessman Tom Wagner and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Bray Dee’s financial support.

Jay Stansfield’s double helped Birmingham beat Wrexham at St Andrew’s in September, But with five points separating the two teams, the second leg is even more important.

Celebrities are expected to be in the racecourse grandstands again on Thursday night, broadcast live sky sportsand there will also be high-paid stars on the pitch in one of the most expensive league games in history.

Thursday, January 23, 7:00 pm

Starts at 8:00 pm

Promotional Planning Recruitment in Wrexham

Wrexham achieved successive promotions from the National League through expensive and clever recruitment. According to data, the value of Reynolds and McElhenney’s teams has increased nearly six-fold since they took over in 2021 transfer market.

Their success has been based on signing players from higher leagues and they have laid the groundwork by bringing in 10 players from the EFL in 2021-22 when they are still a non-league club. The following summer, after missing out on promotion to the National League play-offs, they signed seven more players.

“We’ve brought in players who are used to winning,” Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said. sky sports. “There are a lot of expectations at Wrexham and you have to be able to deal with that.

“It’s a different club.”

Paul Mullin’s influence as one of these signings has been well documented, but striker Ollie Palmer, who joined for a reported £300,000, and Eli, who were demoted three divisions from Championship side Luton Town Ott Lee, among others, continues to play a key role on their team. rise.

Palmer has only scored 11 league goals in his last 64 games, but there’s a reason why Parkinson continues to play him. The 33-year-old is a battering ram, able to wear down opposition defences, link up play and is the ultimate team player. He has lasted 90 minutes only twice this season.

Lee is a diminutive midfielder who began his career at West Ham United with a knack for scoring important goals, scoring 15 in his first season and last season He scored 16 goals. He has six wins this season, five of them with wins.

There are also the likes of former Derby striker Jack Marriott, former Premier League duo Steven Fletcher and James McClean, who all played kick return in League Two for Wrexham Signed before.

Wrexham invested again last summer, paying for five players who earned a combined five EFL promotions for a reported £2m in total, including West Brom player Mo Faal For a reported club record £500,000, he has only made seven league appearances this season.

Success is not cheap…

Wrexham lost £5.1 million in the 2022-23 season, which saw the club promoted back to League Two. This means the club lost more than £8 million in Reynolds and McElhenney’s first two full seasons. Accounts for the year to June 2024 will be published this spring.

Wages have increased from £4.05m in 2021-22 to £6.9m, while total turnover has increased from £5.97m to £10.47m as they clinched the National League title.

influence welcome to wrexham In a documentary about the club’s global profile, retail sales rose from £1.3 million to £3.4 million, pocketing £2.58 million of the club’s total overseas revenue.

However, as the new ownership enters its fourth year, losses are expected to be reduced. The club has reportedly seen a significant increase in turnover over the past 12 months, with total revenue expected to exceed £20 million following lucrative sponsorship deals with United Airlines and STOK Coffee Brew.

In October, Wrexham also welcomed the Allyn family, which made its fortune in global medical device manufacturer Welch Allyn, as new minority investors.

Is Wrexham’s stadium big enough to host the Championship?

Thursday’s race will be held at the racecourse, which has a capacity of 13,341.

Wrexham’s average attendance this season is 12,869, fifth highest in League One, with almost every game being sold out. Their average total appearances would put them in the bottom three on the tournament field table.

The club plans to redevelop the 5,500-capacity Kop, which has been unused and derelict since 2007 and will be demolished in January 2023 and replaced with 3,000 temporary seats.

A new architect, Populous, who has worked at Wembley Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Principality Stadium among others, has been appointed to redesign the stand, which is due to open this season.

It will include facilities to provide safe standing, hospitality and accessible seating and will fully comply with UEFA Category 4 stadium requirements, with a target completion date of 2026. McElhenney talked about increasing capacity to 50,000 people.

A new era begins in Birmingham

While Wrexham have been building, Birmingham are rebuilding after being relegated from the Championship. Their acquisition in the summer of 2023 resulted in an unexpected setback, but that did not dampen their ambitions.

As well as a £58m cash injection, the new owners plan to build a new stadium after purchasing 60 acres of land around a mile from St Andrews.

Birmingham also showed their intent last summer, signing 13 first-team players for a reported £20m combined and signing striker Stansfield from Fulham for more than £15m, breaking news League transfer record.

The 21-year-old forward, who is on loan at the club for the 2023/24 season, has scored 13 goals and provided 3 assists in all competitions and has scored 12 goals in 21 league games this season.

Alfie May, the league’s Golden Boot winner last season, moved from Charlton for an undisclosed fee and has scored 10 goals. Goalkeepers Ryan Alsop and Bailey Peacock-Far The same goes for Rhyl, as well as players from various teams including Celtic, Hearts and Rangers.

The Blues did cash in on academy player Jordan James, selling him for a reported £8m, with manager Chris Davies warning Wrexham his side are now better off than they were first time More stable when meeting.

“We were a fledgling team,” Davis told us sky sports. “We’ve come a long way since then.”

Birmingham are unbeaten in their last 14 games, winning 12 since their shock defeat to Shrewsbury in the league.

But Davies has ruled out Baek Seung-ho and Willem Willemson from the Wrexham meeting, and they are also expected to be without midfielder Tomoki Iwata. All three are regulars.

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

The home side were beaten at Shrewsbury last time out and have lost two of their last three games, which saw them lose at both Wycombe and Birmingham.

Something has to give.

Watch Wrexham vs Birmingham City on Sky Sports Main Event and Football Live on Thursday at 7pm; starts at 8pm