'Hollywood welcome' - inside a Wrexham transfer window

In the five years since the club went Hollywood, there have been more than 50 players who have signed up to be part of Wrexham's rise.

That's quite a few times Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have picked up the phone for a personal 'welcome to Wrexham'.

With promotion to the Premier League the aim, there could yet be more to add to that list before this latest transfer window closes - even after a summer that saw 13 new additions at a cost of around £30m.

While the fees and wages have changed, the process has remained largely the same since Phil Parkinson arrived in north Wales as manager in July 2021.

But how much involvement do the A-lister ownership have in recruitment? And do they really persuade players to sign?

For a club that has managed to market itself to a huge global audience ever since the documentary cameras rolled into north Wales, it's not surprising to learn that communication is key when it comes to their transfer business.

And that includes an early spelling out of what Wrexham want to achieve in a transfer window – and how much it could cost.

While manager Parkinson keeps a constant eye on potential signings, the parameters for the window are set in a board meeting which will include Reynolds and Mac, as well as minority shareholder and executive director Kaleen Allyn.

Although the day-to-day operations at the club is handled by those on the ground, the US-based ownership plays an active role in these discussions as chief executive Michael Williamson sets out what could be possible in the market, what different approaches could achieve and the financial implications.

Williamson will feed in Parkinson's early thoughts of what might be needed, with a strategy and a budget then given the green-light.

It is not the end of the owners' involvement, they remain interested and invested throughout the process.

But one of the success stories of the takeover has been the celebrity pair knowing their own limits – and placing trust in the expertise of others.

That very much includes Parkinson who draws up his list of targets, working closely with assistant Steve Parkin and scout Chris Johnson.

The budget from the board meeting gives Parkinson an idea of what he is working with as they move towards the window.

But while the final say on who ends up coming through the doors at Stok Cae Ras is always with the manager, support and scrutiny comes in the form of a transfer committee.

Parkinson is joined by Williamson, as well as directors Humphrey Ker and Shaun Harvey.

Then there is former FA technical director Les Reed. The one-time Charlton Athletic manager was a key decision-maker at Southampton as they went from League One to the Premier League, a period where the club won praise for the recruitment of players such as Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane.

He has been an advisor and consultant from the early days of Reynolds and Mac's time, even helping identify Parkinson as their choice for manager.

The five together make sure there is a collective responsibility on the approach and, crucially, if the moves are right for the club.

Williamson has described it as a "stress test" of the process, with meetings both virtually and in person as the window demands.

The biggest test is conducted by the manager.

While Reed has previously spoken of the use of data and AI systems to help identify players, there is also a traditional touch as Parkinson narrows down his options.

"He likes to spin a few plates," says former captain Ben Tozer, one of the first significant signings under Parkinson after he dropped down two divisions to join Wrexham in 2021.

"He might have two or three players in his thoughts for that position so he was probably speaking to others when he was speaking with me.

"We had three or four conversations. You don't realise it, but part of it is him sussing you out and if you're going to be the right person to go into that dressing room. He just knows how to sniff out the right people."

Having the right character is a huge factor for Parkinson – paying off with three successive promotions – and various contacts in the game are sounded out to double check that the potential newcomer will fit into the dressing room ethos.

As Parkinson puts it: "It's about selecting the players we'd like and then can we get a deal done? Over the years we've been pretty good at that.

"The financial side is out of my hands, thank goodness."

Once it's decided to make a move, the leg work in delivering the deal is left with the experienced Harvey, and also Williamson involved in negotiations, making sure the finances work.

But all the while, the Hollywood duo are kept informed. Insiders say they will often be directly on the phone to Parkinson or the exec team – not to suggest who to sign but with a genuine excitement about what the new player will offer.

They will also offer to see if there is anything they can do to help a deal over the line. Previously players such as Steven Fletcher have discussed how a phone call from one of the red carpet stars during negotiations helped convince him to sign.

Tozer admits the early days needed a selling job for players to drop down, with Parkinson himself having to be initially reassured that the ambitions were real.

"I don't think they need to do that as much anymore because you'd be stupid now not to be aware of where the club is going and want to be a part of it," he adds.

The process is a flexible one and not guaranteed to run smooth or go to plan.

Speaking after the summer window, Harvey admitted to the Fearless in Devotion podcast that the market proved more competitive than anticipated, resulting in a reassessment over budgets.

But there is always a clarity over what they want to achieve, a blueprint that has kept momentum, and a tradition of the owners reaching out to new signings to welcome them on board.

"They're hands on, they make you feel welcome, look after you and touch base when they can," explains midfielder George Thomason, a summer signing from Bolton.

"Obviously they're really busy people and they've got a lot going on, so when they can make time for us then it's always appreciated."

Then there's just the small matter of getting used to the club with cameras documenting every step along their ambitious journey.

"I remember having signed all the contracts electronically but when I got to the club there was another bit of paper to sign that was basically about the documentary," Tozer says.

"You become aware of the cameras pretty quickly. I remember someone in the dressing room saying it was all a bit mad, but it's not long before you get used to it."