Wrexham AFC Players’ Wages: Inside the Money Game

by , 23 May 2023

Welcome to an intriguing dive into the financial inner workings of Wrexham AFC, where Hollywood glamour meets the realities of football. Ever since the Hollywood takeover by actors Ryan Reynolds and Ron McElhenney, Wrexham FC players have been on a steep upward trajectory, with sights set firmly on the Premier League. But what does this fairy-tale journey cost? This exploration delves deep into the Wrexham FC players’ wages, examines the link between pay packets and performance, and tackles critiques of the club’s spending. Get ready for a revealing look into the financial dynamics within the ranks of Wrexham AFC’s players.

Wrexham FC Players

Wrexham is the oldest football team in Wales that plays in the English Football League. It is owned by American celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Ron McElhenney, who took over the club in November 2020, a purchase that has elevated the club profile and is now one of the most followed teams in the English division outside the Premier League and Championship. They are a firm favourite with football betting fans, especially in the promotion betting market.

The impact of this change has been profound, with the Red Dragons clinching victory in the National League and earning promotion to League Two, the lowest tier of the football pyramid. However, Wrexham FC’s and its owners’ ambitions extend far beyond this achievement. The club, driven by its Hollywood duo owners, is on a mission to secure three consecutive promotions to the EFL Championship. Their ultimate goal? To reach the pinnacle of English football – the Premier League!

A vital aspect of this transformation revolves around the Wrexham FC players and their wages. The club’s new ownership has not shied away from investing in talent, leading to a significant increase in the salaries of Wrexham FC players. While this fairy tale journey of Wrexham FC captivates many, it has also sparked a debate. Some critics argue that the high wages paid by the club amount to financial doping, forcing surrounding clubs to overspend to compete, thereby placing them at risk of bankruptcy.

This article delves into the financial aspects of Wrexham FC’s transformation, particularly focusing on the implications of the increased wages for Wrexham FC players.

Wrexham FC Player’s Wages – Understanding Football Salaries

The Welsh side had forty-three registered players in the Vanarama National League with a total wage bill of £3,616,080 for the last financial year statistics available.

The highest earner is Andy Cannon, who made £5,500 a week (although he may have been surpassed by Paul Mullin, who has recently signed a new contract), while the lowest is eighteen-year-old Louis Lloyd on £340 a week.

Today it’s all about the money as we look at the salary figures of the Wrexham FC players and reference them with other teams. We as well highlight the performances of the top earners and whether good pay is usually directly proportional to performances in all the leagues.

Let me take you through all you need to know about the sport’s financial aspect, highlighting the various compensation packages.

The basic salaries – Just like in regular jobs, footballers are paid a basic income, usually fixed regardless of factors such as performances, injuries, and appearances. The criteria for determining the players’ income varies significantly from skill, talent, experience, market value, age, and contract agreement. After teams have discussed the transfer fee, these negotiations usually occur between the player and his agent with the club. Once a player has joined, further negotiations could exist to increase or decrease the basic income. Still, either party has to come to a contractual agreement to alter the previous deal.

Bonuses – The basic is usually a fixed price, while bonuses are incentives to motivate a player to perform and reach targets for the team’s benefit. They may range from individual performances, such as goals scored and appearances, to team performances, such as winning the League, qualifying for the Champions League or reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. They are monetary rewards outlined in the player’s contract to motivate the player to perform at full potential.

Endorsements – These are a deal made by a company so that their brand can be associated with a player. In simple terms, footballers are celebrities, so brands pay them to endorse their products as an advertising tool to enhance sales and build popularity. Endorsements depend highly on a player’s popularity, performance, and how accessible he is to the brand’s target market. In an era where social media is more prominent, endorsements have become a massive tool in raising the player’s income.

Wrexham AFC Salaries: An Overview

Below is a summary of the Wrexham FC players wages according to salary sport.

Wrexham 2023 Wages
Player Name Weekly Wage Yearly Salary Age Position Nationality
Andy Cannon £5,500 £286,000 26 AM C England
Eoghan O’Connell £5,300 £275,600 26 D C, DM Ireland
Paul Mullin £4,800 £249,600 27 ST England
Ollie Palmer £4,800 £249,600 30 ST England
Ben Tozer £4,500 £234,000 32 D C, DM England
Elliot Lee £4,300 £223,600 27 AM/F C England
Thomas O’Connor £3,600 £187,200 23 DM Ireland
Aaron Hayden £3,500 £182,000 25 D RC England
Anthony Forde £3,500 £182,000 28 D/WB/AM R Ireland
Callum McFadzean £3,400 £176,800 28 D/WB/M L Scotland
Jordan Tunnicliffe £3,100 £161,200 28 D C England
James Jones £3,100 £161,200 26 DM Scotland
Harry Lennon £2,200 £114,400 27 D C England
Jordan Davies £2,100 £109,200 23 DM, AM RLC Wales
Jacob Mendy £2,100 £109,200 25 D/WB/AM L Spain
Mark Howard £1,900 £98,800 35 GK England
Sam Dalby £1,600 £83,200 22 ST England
Bryce Hosannah £1,500 £78,000 23 D/WB R England
Luke Young £1,000 £52,000 29 DM, AM C England
Liam McAlinden £1,000 £52,000 28 D L, AM RL, ST Ireland
Rob Lainton £780 £40,560 32 GK England
Max Cleworth £730 £37,960 19 D RC Wales
Rory Watson £730 £37,960 26 GK England
Reece Hall-Johnson £630 £32,760 27 D RC England
Kai Evans £600 £31,200 18 AM C Wales
Dan Jones £570 £29,640 18 ST Wales
Dan Davies £470 £24,440 17 D L Wales
Scott Butler £420 £21,840 19 D C Wales
Jake Bickerstaff £360 £18,720 21 ST England
Louis Lloyd £340 £17,680 18 ST Wales

Spotlight: Top Earners at Wrexham AFC

Paul Mullin, Aaron Hayden, and Ben Tozer stepped down a level to join the non-league outfit. However, the top profile list of earners extends to former Man United and England goalkeeper Ben Foster.

The average weekly wage for National League players is £1000. That explains why the Red Dragons have the financial muscle to attract players from leagues above them, such as Mullin, who makes four times the average figure with a weekly wage of £4000. Defenders Tozer and Hayden are on £3000 a week. In addition, the players received a promotion bonus of £250,000 after their successful title-winning campaign.

Mullin’s salary translates to £234,000 annually, an exceptional figure for a then-non-league football club. The two new owners’ massive financial muscle has made the team a suitable player destination where players such as Mullin decided to drop one League to play with the Dragons. The recent success at the club could prompt more of such decisions as they have the potential to bring in players from the top League with huge salaries and bonuses as their convincing power. In addition, the promise of gaining promotion and bonuses attached to it makes the deal more enticing for players as a favourable market.

Competing in a league lower than your current one doesn’t automatically assure a player’s success. However, there’s a noticeable difference in player performance across different leagues. For instance, players in the top league generally perform better than those in lower tiers. So if we were to move a player like Anthony Martial to a lower division like the National League, his performance would likely be exceptional.

However, there’s a significant disparity in wage structures between the two leagues. For example, Martial’s salary at Manchester United could never be matched in a lower-tier league. That said, if a team such as Wrexham possesses substantial financial resources to attract top players and pay them competitive salaries, they’re setting themselves up for potential success.

Salaries and Performance: Is There a Correlation?

In today’s world, money wields significant influence, which is particularly intriguing. However, it’s important to remember that not every investment necessarily provides the anticipated return; this is an unwritten rule in business. This concept also applies to football: not every player signed delivers as expected initially. Sometimes, players may have a challenging start, with performance improving over time. But the career span of footballers is relatively short, so time is a scarce commodity, particularly during their peak years.

Manchester City serves as an excellent example of a financial takeover that took over ten years to bear the fruits we’re now seeing. Some of their high-profile signings, including Roque Santa Cruz, Stevan Jovetic, and Wilfred Bony, failed to reach their potential despite coming in with great expectations. However, under Pep Guardiola’s leadership, the club has developed a robust structure where any incoming player seamlessly fits into the system. Consequently, they are on track to win an impressive treble this year, demonstrating the importance of prudent investment management in achieving successful outcomes.

Blackburn Rovers are an example of the instant success of investments under Jack Walker, who took over the club in 1991 and pumped in millions to acquire players. The height of their success was winning the 1994-95 title and was relegated in 1999. However, Rovers are a perfect example of success without setting up sufficient structures.

Wrexham is in its glory days with substantial financial muscle among teams. However, their ability to buy good players makes them stand out, including some players who have lived up to their name.

The name, Mullin, keeps coming up in all the Wrexham headlines; the maestro scored thirty-eight goals for the Dragons and was second in the scorers list behind Macaulay Langstaff of Notts County. He is worth the £4000 a week tag and could repeat his heroics in League Two in their promotion quest.

Another high-earner at the club is Ben Foster. Foster is the team’s most experienced player with Premier League experience. He stepped out of retirement and captured Wrexham fans’ hearts with the magical saves that saw them win against Notts County. The maestro claimed the pay is tiny, which is entirely accurate in reference to Premier League teams but is an insult to the £4500 tag, which is exceptionally high at the level he plays. However, the penalty save is enough to justify the high pay; the maestro was able to judge by experience critical moments in a game would be a significant advantage to the team in League Two.

The Impact of Celebrity Ownership and Promotion Aspirations on Player Salaries

Reynolds and McElhenney are on a challenging quest that could take a long time to achieve. Promotion is difficult, especially in the lower leagues, which are more physical and rugged, with teams giving their all on the pitch. However, it doesn’t always go down to talent but resilience to survive the lower leagues.

If it takes resilience, we have seen a fair share of it from the Red Dragons, who, after losing in the playoffs last season to Grimsby Town, saw them come back stronger to gain automatic qualification. Of course, there are no guarantees of promotion, but if they do, it would be a beautiful story, especially if they go all the way to the Championship in quick succession. Their Celebrity status makes them a high-profile team, and it is estimated they are the most famous and highlighted team from the Championship downwards. The direct implication on the player salaries is that as they look to reinforce the team, they will likely pay higher fees, having already endured paying some players four or three times the average wages in the National League. However, we expect the same level of financial commitment if they are to keep their promotion aspirations alive and could even get more demanding as they plan on signing high-profile players.

Comparing Wrexham AFC Salaries with Other Vanarama National League Teams

Wrexham AFC was the highest-paying team in the Vanarama National League. Regarding wages, the Dragons had an unfair advantage compared to the other teams in the division.

Some players made up to four times the league average and had bonuses and endorsements. They were also motivated by visits from American Hollywood friends in the stands to cheer them on occasionally. The top four earners in the League are all from Wrexham and have seventeen players above the £1000 and £1500 average for the Vanarama National League.

Comparison with League Two Teams

Wrexham will be stepping into a new league where they will now be facing teams who are equally more robust financially as them. The most-paid player in the League Two side is Matty Longstaff, who plays for Colchester United on loan from Newcastle United, which is £24,000 weekly.

The value is eight times that of the highest earner at Wrexham. Most of the enormous salaries are loanees from the Premier League, with Ellery Balcombe playing for Crawley on loan from Brentford at £8,300 per week and Paris Maghoma playing for AFC Wimbledon from Brentford on £7,800.

Top Earning Footballers in Sky Bet League Two 2023
Name Salary per Week Yearly Wage Team Country Age Positions
Matty Longstaff £24,000 £1,248,000 Colchester England 22 DM, AM C
Ellery Balcombe £8,300 £431,600 Crawley England 22 GK
Paris Maghoma £7,800 £405,600 AFC Wimbledon England 21 DM, AM C
Josh Eppiah £6,100 £317,200 Northampton Belgium 23 AM RL, ST
Dynel Simeu £5,400 £280,800 Tranmere England 20 D C
Ethan Galbraith £5,300 £275,600 Salford N.Ireland 21 DM, AM C
Alex Gilbey £4,500 £234,000 Stevenage England 27 DM, AM C
Cieran Slicker £4,400 £228,800 Rochdale Scotland 19 GK
Christy Pym £4,400 £228,800 Mansfield England 27 GK
Dom Telford £4,400 £228,800 Crawley England 25 ST

After being a dominant and financial powerhouse in the Vanarama National League, Wrexham AFC will be at their level when they play in League Two. They will have to change their recruitment strategy similar to the League Two teams that scout for Premier League players looking for game time and recover form to sign them on loan. The option is economically viable as they don’t have to pay the substantial transfer fees attached to the high-profile players. They only settle with the weekly wages, mostly shared with the parent club.

Comparison Of Income Across The Leagues

The Premier League is the best league in the world; thus, they have the highest average wage bill of £3 million per year. The highest earner in the 2022-23 season was Christiano Ronaldo, whose annual salary was almost £25 million (£480,000 per week) before his move to Saudi League club Al Nassr.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, AFC Bournemouth’s Joe Rothwell is one of the lowest earners in the Premier League, with a weekly wage of £8,000.

Top Earning Footballers in Premier League 2023
Name Salary per Week Yearly Wage Team Country Age Positions
Cristiano Ronaldo £480,000 £24,960,000 Manchester United Portugal 37 ST
David De Gea £375,000 £19,500,000 Manchester United Spain 31 GK
Mohamed Salah £350,000 £18,200,000 Liverpool Egypt 30 AM RL, ST
Raphaël Varane £350,000 £18,200,000 Manchester United France 29 D C
Raheem Sterling £350,000 £18,200,000 Chelsea England 27 AM RL
Erling Haaland £340,000 £17,680,000 Man City Norway 21 ST
Kevin De Bruyne £340,000 £17,680,000 Man City Belgium 31 AM RLC
Kalidou Koulibaly £300,000 £15,600,000 Chelsea Senegal 31 D C
Casemiro £300,000 £15,600,000 Manchester United Brazil 30 DM
N’Golo Kanté £290,000 £15,080,000 Chelsea France 31 DM
Jadon Sancho £275,000 £14,300,000 Manchester United England 22 AM RL
Jack Grealish £270,000 £14,040,000 Man City England 26 AM RLC
Anthony Martial £250,000 £13,000,000 Manchester United France 26 AM L, ST

The Premier division’s elite group of the top 100 footballers command an impressive weekly salary of £16,424,000. When extrapolated over a year, this staggering sum amounts to an astronomical £854,048,000. These figures underscore the immense financial rewards that come with being among the crème de la crème in the world of football. The earnings of these top-tier players reflect not only their exceptional skills on the pitch but also the high value that the Premier Division, and indeed the global football industry, places on their talent.

Top Ten Spending Clubs in the Premier League
Rank Club Active Players Forwards Midfielders Defenders Goalkeepers Transfer Fees Estimated Total Salary
1 Chelsea F.C. 32 £31,720,000 £90,350,000 £68,640,000 £13,520,000 £605,148,550 £212,090,000
2 Manchester United F.C. 28 £57,200,000 £54,340,000 £65,255,000 £21,680,000 £261,830,000 £211,875,000
3 Manchester City F.C. 23 £22,100,000 £92,560,000 £58,360,000 £9,620,000 £165,170,000 £182,640,000
4 Liverpool F.C. 29 £50,232,000 £51,220,000 £46,000,000 £11,336,000 £139,194,080 £158,788,000
5 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 25 £38,168,000 £31,870,000 £29,340,000 £9,360,000 £150,920,000 £110,438,000
6 Arsenal F.C. 24 £29,640,000 £40,060,000 £23,138,000 £5,040,000 £201,730,000 £97,878,000
7 Aston Villa F.C. 22 £13,000,000 £29,120,000 £32,160,000 £11,440,000 £109,030,000 £89,880,000
8 Everton F.C. 26 £15,860,000 £21,840,000 £34,682,000 £7,800,000 £68,420,000 £80,707,000
9 West Ham United F.C. 24 £10,660,000 £27,280,000 £30,420,000 £9,620,000 £213,260,000 £80,060,000
10 Newcastle United F.C. 27 £17,313,600 £18,971,000 £31,900,000 £5,696,000 £149,600,000 £76,220,600

The Vanarama National League and League Two are at the bottom of the chain in English Football. The National League has an average wage bill of £1.2 million per annum, while the League Two averages £1.5 million per annum. The average wage for the fourth-tier League is between £1000 and £1500 a week.

“Although some Wrexham players are paid four times the average for the league, their earnings are dwarfed by Premier League and Championship players.” – Luke Andrews, Betting Expert – UK Market.

In the fourth tier, Matty Longstaff of Colchester, who is on loan from Newcastle United, is the top earner, making £24,000 a week, which is insanely high given the second player in the list, Ellery Balcombe, earns three times less at £8,300. However, Longstaff’s wages are likely paid by his parent club while at Colchester.

Criticisms of Wrexham AFC’s Salary Structure

The new owners led the Welsh side to run a fifth-tier side with an open chequebook, something the other teams in the same League didn’t have the luxury of. So, they were big fish swimming in a small pond competing for the same title against the smaller sides. In that reference, one could argue there was unfair competition for the side to compete in terms of salary structure, transfers, and even status.

That said, let us take you through the money structure of the Wrexham season. The club’s annual report showed a £3 million loss for the financial year ending June, with the turnover increasing to £6 million. However, here is where it gets interesting, promotion to League Two means the American owners have to invest further to fashion the side into a suitable outfit to compete at the level thus is reported that they will have to spend a further £10 million.

They are on record acknowledging that they are minimal or no concern with money losses, but you realise football as a business is set to be regulated by income. So a side that isn’t concerned with losses means they can overinvest, which could be an unfair advantage in comparison to teams who don’t have the same financial resilience or ownership to weather huge losses.

Financial Fair Play (FFP) was established to promote fair competition, something many would argue Wrexham isn’t prioritising in their dealings, especially compared to other teams in the same league.

There is also an argument that Wrexham might struggle with the new FFP rules they will face next season. Here is a brief summary of these restrictions;

Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) from Financial Fair Play

  • SCMP is a Spending Constraint framework used by clubs in League 1 and League 2.
  • It limits spending on player wages to a percentage of club turnover. In League 1, clubs can spend a maximum of 60% of their turnover on wages, while in League 2, the limit is 55%.
  • There are no restrictions on the amount a club can lose or spend on transfer fees.
  • SCMP was initially introduced into League 2 in 2004/5 for guidance purposes, and sanctions for breaching the SCMP thresholds were introduced during the 2011/12 season.
  • The process is interactive, with clubs providing the Football League with projections for the spending for the coming season and regular updates on their turnover and wage bill during the season.
  • Any club that is forecasting a wage spend within 5% of the figure will be scrutinised more closely. If a club is on course to exceed the limits, the Football League will apply a Transfer Embargo.
  • SCMP doesn’t rely on the retrospective scrutiny of club accounts, making it effective at stopping overspending before the spending occurs.
  • The rules apply to all clubs, including those relegated from the Championship. However, Transitional Arrangements allow clubs to exclude the wage costs of all players that the club signed pre-September of the relegation season if they were signed on contracts in excess of 3 seasons.
  • The definition of ‘Turnover’ under the SCMP rules includes Match-day Income, Commercial Income, TV revenue, donations from the owners to the club, injections of equity, and profit made on player sales.
  • ‘Wages’ under SCMP relates to player wages only. Wage costs for players loaned out to other clubs are deducted for the loan period. Wage costs for Youth players on a professional contract are also excluded.
  • Within Turnover, clubs can include such things as Hospitality/Banqueting income. The direct costs must be deducted to reach a figure submitted on the SCMP return.

So, in summary, while it appears that Wrexham has unlimited resources, the rules in place will restrict what they can spend.

However, Wrexham’s appeal will boost their commercial opportunities, which will, in turn, ensure that Wrexham FC players continue to be richly rewarded. It’s a delicate balancing act, but with the owners seemingly in for the long run, the future looks bright for Wrexham.

The Clubs That Went Bankrupt

The escalating risk of insolvency among football clubs is a growing concern as these organisations persist in their extravagant spending on player salaries. This trend is particularly prevalent in the English Championship, where the average wage-turnover ratio has reached a staggering 107% as teams vie for a spot in the Premier League.

This section delves into the stories of six English clubs that have succumbed to bankruptcy, leading to their dissolution, liquidation, and ultimate expulsion from English football.

Aldershot FC: Established in 1926, Aldershot FC’s 66-year history concluded in the fourth tier of football when the club declared bankruptcy after a mere three victories in 36 league games. In addition, the club’s spending was unsustainable, far exceeding its means in a desperate attempt to remain in the Football League. Phoenix club Aldershot Town FC replaced Aldershot FC following its bankruptcy.

Maidstone United: This club joined the ranks of bankrupt football clubs just five months after Aldershot FC’s bankruptcy in 1992. After accumulating unmanageable debts of £650,000, Maidstone United sold its stadium for development a year before entering the Football League. However, the club’s bankruptcy led to a change in rules, requiring teams seeking promotion into the Football League to meet stadium requirements of a minimum 6,000 capacity, with at least 1,000 of those being seated.

Macclesfield Town FC: In 2020, after 146 years of existence and with debts of £500,000, Macclesfield Town went bankrupt. The club’s relegation at the end of the 2019-20 season was the final blow that the club couldn’t survive. Macclesfield Football Club has since replaced Macclesfield Town.

Chester City Football Club: – with an extensive chronicle spanning 125 years, announced their insolvency in 2010. In the aftermath of the 2008-09 season, they were demoted from the Football League, and merely a fortnight later, they fell into the clutches of administrative control. Consequently, Chester City FC joined the ranks of financially crippled football clubs, unable to surmount debts surpassing £7 million. However, a rebirth in the form of Chester FC emerged from the ashes of Chester City FC.

Rushden & Diamonds FC: Founded in 1992, Rushden & Diamonds FC was bankrolled by the owner of the Dr. Martens shoe company, Max Griggs. By 2003, the club was losing £2.5 million a year in operating costs, leading to its bankruptcy in 2011. The club has since been replaced by AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

Bury FC: The English Football League bid farewell to Bury Football Club in 2019, marking an end to its 125-year tenure within the league. The financial decline of the club was a direct consequence of mismanaged finances, leading to an agonising period where players went unpaid for a full quarter of the year. As a result, the club is now in a state of hibernation, burdened with an enormous debt exceeding £12.5 million. However, from the ashes of the old, a new entity, Bury AFC, has risen and successfully climbed to the ninth tier of the league.

These stories serve as a stark reminder of the financial risks associated with running a football club, particularly when spending outpaces income. Moreover, the impact of these bankruptcies extends beyond the pitch, affecting local economies and communities that have long supported these clubs.

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