Why Phil Parkinson is ‘probably’ under pressure at Wrexham – with Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney overseeing lavish £33m transfer window spending spree

Phil Parkinson has been warned that he is under pressure at Wrexham, despite guiding the club to three successive promotions. After a £33 million summer recruitment drive funded by co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, questions are being raised over whether the manager can guide the new-look team to success in the Championship.

  • spent £33m on 13 summer signings
  • Chris Wathan says Parkinson "probably" under pressure
  • Hollywood co-owners target by 2027

Why Phil Parkinson is ‘probably' under pressure at Wrexham - with Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney overseeing lavish £33m transfer window spending spreeWhy Phil Parkinson is ‘probably' under pressure at Wrexham - with Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney overseeing lavish £33m transfer window spending spreeWhy Phil Parkinson is ‘probably' under pressure at Wrexham - with Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney overseeing lavish £33m transfer window spending spree

Parkinson was handed significant backing in the summer market, with 13 players arriving to bolster the Red Dragons’ squad. Among the standout signings were striker Kieffer Moore and midfielder Lewis O’Brien. Despite such investment, Wrexham have only managed one win and endured a slow start to the 2025-26 season, which has sparked speculation about Parkinson’s position. BBC Sport’s Chris Wathan believes that the 57-year-old is “probably” under pressure.

Speaking on BBC Sounds, Wathan explained: “Some of those players have really slotted in beautifully already. The new signings, we only have to look at Kieffer Moore’s goal return already, and how he is perfect for the big man role, the way that Wrexham play.

“Lewis O’Brien, many of us have seen play for , has been outstanding. I’ve missed Ollie Rathbone, don’t forget he’s to come back from injury. The midfield options are superb.

“Does it put pressure on Phil Parkinson? Probably, but pressure has never bothered him ever since he arrived at the club, has it?

“What he now has are options to change within games, and I think that is something that is a step up in the compared to . It is something Phil Parkinson addressed in that really disappointing display play against when he said we didn’t have, he hinted at it, he didn’t have the fresh legs or the bodies on the bench to really impact that game and stop it getting away from Wrexham. They do now, barring injuries, of course, they very much do now.”

Wrexham’s Hollywood co-owners have been clear with their vision: reach the Premier League by 2027. That gives Parkinson little margin for error; however, just staying in the Championship this season may be enough to satisfy Reynolds and McElhenney.

For Parkinson, stabilising Wrexham in the Championship is the immediate task. The challenge now is translating Reynolds and McElhenney’s heavy investment into consistent performances in the second tier of English football, with a home fixture against QPR up next on September 13.