Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney: Are Wrexham's owners playing fantasy football, or playing with fire?

There are, of course, other investments such as the stadium development, the purchase of a local stadium for the women's team, and plans for the training ground and academy.

And Tozer admits there might have been the temptation for the club to stand still a little to both catch its breath and catch up with the infrastructure improvements needed.

But if consolidation is not a favoured word at the Cae Ras (by order of McElhenney), momentum is a phrase many have repeated. It's something seen as priceless, and therefore something they are prepared to spend to maintain.

"They are riding the crest of a wave and in front of them is this opportunity to do something that would be up there with the greatest stories and achievements in football," says Neil Taylor, the former Wales defender who began his career with hometown club Wrexham before twice winning promotion from the Championship with Swansea and Aston Villa.

"It feels like they've said 'Let's give this a go' - and with the finance they have and the money they can generate, why not?

"And they have a chance because I don't think you can underestimate the feeling and culture they've built around the place that is just not there at other clubs."

It's why, Taylor says, players are asking agents to engineer moves to north Wales and why they can attract targets over their rivals.

And the current Wales Under-21s assistant manager believes Wrexham boss Parkinson deserves credit for his careful selection of who to bring into the dressing room.

"He can smell a bad guy a mile off," adds Tozer, who admits it can be tough to keep the same spirit through change, but backs Parkinson to do it again.

"He does a lot of work on who he signs, and he's been in the game so long he uses those contacts to make sure he knows he has the right people coming in."

It has allowed the former Charlton Athletic, Bradford City, Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland boss to constantly evolve his squad - even culling cult hero Paul Mullin along the way, and navigating the tricky issue of the imbalance of wages suddenly created by a Championship spending spree.

"If you get the right guys, which Wrexham have, then you keep to the right standards, and no-one is worried about a slightly flashier car being at the training ground," Taylor says.

The signing of Coady is seen as a perfect example - a respected and popular figure who was praised for his qualities off the field when he was in England's squads at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.

"I was so happy when he signed," adds Tozer. "He is a massive piece of the jigsaw because he will help sort the dressing room and keep those standards and everyone singing off the same hymn sheet."

Then there is the experience Parkinson likes - handling big crowds, the Championship demands and the expectation of playing for high-profile Wrexham - with Moore, Ward and O'Brien all ticking the box, not to mention the likes of James McClean and Jay Rodriguez who are already at the club.

Click here to read article