Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham for about $2.5 million. Their club later received roughly $24 million in taxpayer-funded grants. Then reporters started asking for the paperwork. The money was intended to help upgrade the stadium for international events. Officials said the improvements would bring visitors, jobs and investment to the area. But in April 2026, a Guardian investigation raised questions about the first grant, worth approximately $5 million. According to the report, the council awarded it before completing its final subsidy assessment or signing a funding agreement. The agreement wasn’t completed until September 2025. The council defended its process, saying due diligence had been carried out before any money was transferred. Meanwhile, Wrexham was attracting private investors too. In December 2025, Apollo Sports Capital announced a minority investment. Reynolds and McElhenney remained majority owners. In the video below, McElhenney remembers people laughing when they first mentioned reaching the Premier League. Three promotions later, that ambition looked much closer. The financial debate had changed too: how much public money should help fund a club that wealthy private investors already wanted to own?