Wrexham and Birmingham City will extend their ongoing rivalry into the 2025/26 Championship season.
The two clubs won promotion out of League One this past season, seeing Birmingham City take top spot and Wrexham finish second.
With a place in the second tier now secured, the rivalry, however light-hearted it may be, is continuing.
Tom Wagner bought Tom Brady’s gift to Rob McElhenney this week, with the club’s owners sending each other messages on social media.
Ryan Reynolds expressed his love for Brady this week, while one former Blues player has now been discussing Wrexham in the Championship.
Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesTroy Deeney questions Wrexham in Championship
There has been much discussion about whether Wrexham’s squad is good enough for the Championship right now.
Ollie Rathbone predicts a strong season for the Dragons once they return to the second tier for the first time in 43 years.
However, speaking to talkSPORT this week, former Birmingham man Troy Deeney thinks Wrexham will struggle compared to his ex-team.
He also suggested the Welsh outfit’s system under Phil Parkinson may not be suited for Championship football.
Deeney said: “I think Wrexham will struggle more than Birmingham going into the Championship.
“And what I mean by that is how it’s currently set up. They play a very deliberate way, a 5-3-2, getting loads of crosses into the box. I think a lot of Championship teams are comfortable with that.
“I just don’t know whether they can tweak it and do what needs to be done in terms of getting into the playoffs.”
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty ImagesTroy Deeney on Wrexham and Birmingham spending
Birmingham broke the League One transfer record in 2024 when they landed Jay Stansfield from Fulham.
The Blues were the biggest spenders in the third tier last term, while Wrexham also broke their personal transfer record three times in two windows.
On the spending power of both clubs, Deeney said: “A lot of people are saying that Blues and Wrexham are throwing money at it, but it’s [not] easy. I’ve been at clubs where you throw money at it and it doesn’t work.
“When we had our highest paid squad at Watford and our most talented players, we got relegated. So it’s not as easy as just flinging some money at it. And both of them have done really well.”