Wrexham get new £33m transfer plan verdict as they break Arsenal and Liverpool status quo

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Wrexham have been praised for bucking the trend with their transfer strategy after spending £33million on new players this summer . Manager Phil Parkinson was heavily backed by the club's Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac in the most recent transfer window.

The hefty outlay by the two actors has so far failed to deliver results on the pitch this season as they currently sit 19th in the Championship table. However, Oxford United boss Gary Rowett believes their approach in being unafraid to fork out for experienced second tier campaigners could be key to establishing themselves in the long run.

The plan is in contrast to that adopted by Premier League giants such as Liverpool and Arsenal , who place a strong emphasis on identifying emerging talents. While the Red Dragons' preference for seasoned players is occasionally used as a stick to beat them, Rowett insists that shouldn't necessarily be the case.

Speaking ahead of his team travelling to face Wrexham on Wednesday night, the former Birmingham and Derby manager said: "They've invested in the summer, like a lot of teams in the division and brought in different types of players.

"The one thing they have done is that they've not been afraid to do what a lot of clubs won't do at the moment which is to buy a player over the age of 26. They'll try and bring that experience along with them. They've got good players who have done really well at this level."

Wrexham signed a number of long-serving Championship stars this summer, including the likes of Kieffer Moore and Josh Windass , as well as former Premier League defender Conor Coady . Their arrivals were accompanied by those of younger prospects, such as Manchester City defender Callum Doyle, aged 22, and loanee Issa Kabore, aged 24, who also joined from the Etihad Stadium.

Parkinson's side have picked up 10 points from their opening 10 games this season and are currently one point ahead of Oxford. While their start to life in the Championship has been challenging, Rowett said his counterpart's achievement in leading them to three consecutive promotions was no mean feat.

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"It's a club that's obviously been on the up for a long period of time and what you do then is you get used to winning," he said. "You get into good habits of winning. Of course, the Championship is a little bit more of a testing division and sometimes no team can continue to keep winning all the time.

"He (Parkinson) is a vastly experienced manager, along with his staff as well. Anybody can say, 'Wrexham have spent loads of money,' but us managers who are in the game know that to actually achieve something in terms of promotion is very, very difficult."

When asked if he had watched the Welcome to Wrexham docuseries, charting the club's rise under Reynolds and Mac, Rowett added: "No, it's a busman's holiday for me unfortunately. I prefer to spend my time watching other things, but that's just with any sporting documentary."

Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary 'Welcome to Wrexham'.

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