Wrexham AFC fired internal Championship warning with the likes of Leicester & Southampton in mind | OneFootball

The Championship will present a whole new test for the Hollywood-owned side next season.

Wrexham's community director has admitted that he expects them to get "stomped" by the bigger teams in the Championship next season.

Off the back of the Welsh club's record-breaking third straight promotion, taking them from the National League to the Championship in the fastest way possible, a way that nobody else has managed to achieve before, all the talk surrounding them is just how high can they go in the Championship next season?

Sky Sports have reported that Birmingham City and Wrexham are going to be competing with the relegated Premier League clubs for transfer targets this summer, which is no surprise given the Red Dragons' commercial revenue in the 2023/24 campaign (£19.7 million), while they were in League Two, was already higher than a quarter of the teams in the top flight.

They are going to have the financial power and clout to attract talent that, logically, should be above their level. They are trying to sign players who could, one day, be good enough to perform in the Premier League, but one of the club's key figures has stressed that Wrexham need to prove that they can walk in the Championship before they start bolting for the first division.

Wrexham chief dampens Championship expectations

Ker, an actor and comedian turned football operator, who was first appointed by the club to be their executive director in 2021 before switching to being the community director in January, has warned Wrexham supporters that the years of winning the majority of their matches may be over as they prepare to come up against the might of the second tier next time out.

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, he said: "Going into the Championship, going into the Premier League, the income is much larger, the opportunity is much larger, the TV money, this, that and the other.

"But again, the Championship, your next season... imagine we have to play them (the top-end teams) with all their many, many internationals, their parachute payments (Leicester & Southampton), their whatever. We'll get stomped by them realistically. And we know that. That's just the way it goes in that first season is up for the Championship.

"But the hope is that against the bottom half of the Championship, with the right additions, we can kind of hold our own and do whatever. And we can exist in there."

Warnings about the financial cost of being one of England's top 44 clubs were also stressed by Ker, who said that getting out of the Championship would need a bigger investor than current owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Wrexham should be ready for a Championship reality bite

As much as Wrexham are reported to be on a similar financial playing field to the clubs that will be in their new home, and even some of the ones in the penthouse above that, it's going to take a lot of investment to get the current squad to the point where they can challenge for promotion to the Premier League.

Look at Middlesbrough's team and the assortment of riches at Michael Carrick's disposal; they didn't even finish in the top six. To be able to surpass clubs like them is either going to take what Ker alluded to - unbelievable levels of investment - or an astonishing effort by the manager, Phil Parkinson, to elevate his players to the requisite level.