Rob McElhenney says Wrexham in transfer talks with Arsenal wonderkid as club aim for ANOTHER promotion

WREXHAM co-owner Rob McElhenney has revealed that the club are chasing another promotion, after jumping from the National League to League One in just two seasons.

The Red Dragons will feature in the third tier of the English football league pyramid next season.

A 2-1 win over champions Stockport on the final day meant they finished in second place ahead of Mansfield Town.

That success reportedly secured the squad a monumental £509,710 in bonuses and promotion-related payments, according to the RobRyanRed Wrexham podcast.

And now McElhenney and fellow owner Ryan Reynolds are eyeing up a place in the Championship.

Speaking to SunSport at the Phillies vs Mets game at the London Stadium, Rob said: “I think, with a little bit of research, it’s only happened 18 times that a team has achieved back-to-back promotions.

“But I don’t think it’s ever happened in the history of English football that a team has gone back-to-back-to-back. So that’s what we’re talking about now in the very short off season to see if we can do it again next year.”

One of the stars of last season’s campaign is free agent Arthur Okonkwo, who was released by Arsenal following a successful loan at the Racecourse Ground.

Asked on the possibility of Okonkwo joining, McElhenney revealed: “There is a very good chance.

“We’re talking to Arthur right now, we know he wants to come back to Wrexham and we definitely want him, so it’s about working out the right deal that works out for everyone.”

Wrexham will face off against Birmingham City in the new season, who have NFL legend Tom Brady as an investor on their board.

McElhenney joked: “I certainly do (know who the owner is).

“The question is; are we going to get Tom to come to us or are we going to have to come to Tom? Maybe both!”

In recent times, Wrexham have added former Premier League stars, including James McClean and Steven Fletcher to aid their promotion push.

Asked on the club’s future transfer plans, Rob added: “We’re about to find that next week.

“I go to Wrexham very soon and we’re going to talk about that very soon.”

One player who is now unlikely to join is Leicester City legend Jamie Vardy who inked a new deal with the Foxes to play in the Premier League at the age of 37.

While McElhenney wouldn’t be drawn on talking about the ex-England hitman, he said he is still hoping to convince Gareth Bale to come out of retirement.

He said: “Bale’s still technically available, so I’m just going to tell Gareth the offer is on the table.

“Yeah, we’ll let him off for golf whenever he needs to get off – but as long as he comes to training once or twice a week, I think we can figure out how to give him 10 minutes on the pitch.”

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk