Both clubs have attracted headlines due to their celebrity owners, and are now set to meet on Monday
Forget Southampton vs Manchester United, Manchester City vs Brentford and even the north London derby. In fact, the English fixture that will attract the most eyes in the United States this week isn't being played in the Premier League at all.
No, it is in the third tier where attention will be most closely focused stateside. On Monday, powerhouses Birmingham City – who count Tom Brady as a minority shareholder – host Wrexham. The Red Dragons, of course, are owned by Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and both sets of executives are acutely aware of just how much traction this fixture has in the U.S.
In fact, reports over the summer even suggested that discussion took place over moving the game to North America. Wrexham did come out and deny any such discussions happened, but the fact that this idea seemed so plausible summed up the interesting journeys both of these clubs have undertaken in recent years.
Getty Images SportBouncing back
After several seasons of financial difficulty and on-field underachievement, Birmingham were bought out by Shelby Companies Limited, a subsidiary of U.S.-based Knighthead Capital Management in summer 2023. Tom Wagner was installed as chairman and oversaw a rollercoaster campaign.
The Blues churned through four different managers – John Eustace, Wayne Rooney, Tony Mowbray and Gary Rowett – before eventually succumbing to relegation. However, since then, Wagner has done everything to ensure that his side's stay in League One does not last more than one season.
Wagner's first job was finding a new manager, with Mowbray stepping aside due to health problems having previously been replaced on an interim basis by Rowett. Considerable time and resources were invested into this endeavor. Indeed, according to the club, over 1,000 coaches were considered for the role, before Chris Davies – Ange Postecoglou's assistant at Tottenham – emerged victorious. He even got Brady's approval, with the NFL legend apparently "supporting" the process of finding Mowbray's successor.
No secret was made of what was expected of Davies, with the Welshman told to "build a Championship-ready squad in League One," by CEO Garry Cook. He was at least handed the resources to do so.
Heading into deadline day, the Blues had already signed 11 players, with around the same number departing for fees, on loan or via free transfers. The books were far from balanced, though, with the arrival of the likes of Christoph Klarer, Willum Willumsson and Emil Hansson tipping their net spend towards the £10 million ($13m) mark. Things were about to get even more expensive, too.
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Mind-blowing' transfer
The final day of the summer transfer window is always busy, and it was no different at St Andrew's. As time ticked down, Birmingham confirmed the arrivals of Scott Wright and Tomoki Iwata from Rangers and Celtic, respectively.
These moves were impressive for a third-tier outfit, but Wagner and Co were still not satisfied. They wanted something even bigger – and Birmingham's ambitious owners got their wish, too. After seeing a League One-record bid rejected for Jay Stansfield by Fulham that morning, they went back to the negotiating table.
Stansfield had enjoyed an outstanding 2023-24 campaign on loan with the Blues, taking home pretty much every individual award at the end of the season. As a result, Birmingham were willing to do anything to get him, with the Cottagers eventually agreeing to let the young striker depart for a fee understood to be in excess of £15m ($20m).
Not surprisingly, this eclipsed the previous third-tier spending record and created quite a stir in the wider football ecosystem. Football League pundit Don Goodman described the transfer as "mind-blowing". "There's no doubt that there's a Birmingham City tax on that fee. As high as I rate Jay Stansfield, I think it's completely over the top," he added.
As if we needed any more indication, the Stansfield move signalled loud and clear that only getting out of League One at the first attempt will be acceptable for Birmingham this season.
wrexham.com'Doing a Wrexham'?
A lot of comparisons have been made between Wrexham and Birmingham since the latter's celebrity-tinged takeover. And in truth, the Stansfield deal did bring back memories of how Reynolds and McElhenney were able to clinch back-to-back promotions from the National League to League One.
Like Stansfield, Paul Mullin dropped down two divisions to join their exciting project back in 2021, while Arthur Okonkwo did the same when linking up with the team permanently following his exit from Arsenal this summer. More generally, the Hollywood pair's backing has given Phil Parkinson the financial clout to build one of the best – and most expensive – squads in whatever division they are competing.
It's been more challenging to repeat the trick since their most recent promotion, with fellow big-hitters such as Birmingham competing for the same players. But they still made several statements of intent this summer. As well as the aforementioned Okonkwo turning down Championship interest, Charlton captain George Dobson was tempted away from the Addicks, Ollie Rathbone joined for a sizeable sum and Mo Faal left second-tier West Brom for the SToK Cae Ras.
The sums involved are more conservative than the ones paid by Birmingham, but there is clear similarities between the two recruitment strategies. In short: go big, or go home.
Getty ImagesFocus on off-field improvements
The two clubs have also trodden similar ground when it comes to off-field projects. Since taking over, SCL have made regenerating St Andrew's and the area around it a priority. And in January 2024, a major breakthrough was made.
As part of a "multi-million-pound" sponsorship agreement, the stadium was renamed St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park. The alteration – not universally popular with fans – was part of a wider project to create a 'Sports Quarter' in the city.
"The ambition is to create a globally recognisable sporting and entertainment location," were the club's own words. "A beacon of excellence, providing the world’s greatest athletes and performers a platform to showcase their talents. Recreational, mixed-use and other space will be developed for the enjoyment and benefit of the local community."
The aims are bold, but if their transfer activity is anything to go by, you wouldn't bet against Wagner, Brady and Co pulling it off. Wrexham, meanwhile, have been similarly ambitious in their infrastructure improvement aims.
Local planning difficulties have slowed down progress, but the dilapidated Kop should finally reopen at some point this season. Reynolds and McElhenney have also supported numerous other projects in the local community – too many to list here in fact.
There is, then, a synergy between both sets of owners here. Not only do they want success, they also want to build a lasting legacy with their investment – even if their motivations are not always entirely altruistic.