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03/05 11:00 CST Premier League ready? Wrexham takes on world champion Chelsea in the FA Cup Premier League ready? Wrexham takes on world champion Chelsea in the FA Cup By JAMES ROBSON AP Sports Writer Next up for Wrexham is world champion Chelsea. While a place in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup is at stake when the teams face off at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday, for Wrexham it will be a timely gauge of just how "Premier League-ready" it is. Speaking to industry experts last week, Wrexham CEO Michael Williamson said the Welsh club --- owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, formerly Rob McElhenney --- would be ready for the top flight of English soccer when the time comes. Even as soon as next season, just three years after it was playing non-league. "What we've proven is that with our culture we're pretty damn good at being ready," Williamson told the FT Business of Football Summit. Even with celebrity owners, huge financial backing and a global reach through the fly-on-the-wall documentary series "Welcome to Wrexham," it cannot be overstated just how remarkable the club's rise has been. Back-to-back-to-back promotions have taken it from playing non-league games in a crumbling stadium to the second-tier Championship and in contention for the playoffs to the Premier League. The prospect of playing the likes of Chelsea every week is not just the hope for Wrexham's owners but the mission. "They said that from day one and everyone laughed at them," Williamson said. "We know what we have to do. It'll be really difficult but we can do it because we've proven that we can, not just survive when we get promoted, but that we can actually thrive." Wrexham's meteoric rise has meant it has constantly played catchup to try to keep pace with its on-field success. More than 60 players have been signed since the takeover was completed in 2021, with 16 joining last summer to build a squad capable of competing in a division with former Premier League champion Leicester and a host of clubs with very recent top flight experience. Even still, the spending is nothing like that of England's top flight. Nathan Broadhead became Wrexham's record signing in August for a reported $10 million. Before him, Sam Smith cost a reported $2.7 million. Compare that to Chelsea, which has spent close to $2 billion under American owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital since buying the club in 2022. That money helped Chelsea win the Club World Cup last year --- but it has not come close to winning the Premier League and it could miss out on qualification to the Champions League this season.

Strive to survive Wrexham's spending is likely to have to increase significantly again to bridge the widening gap between the Premier League and the Championship, with promoted teams increasingly struggling to make the step up. Last season, all three promoted teams --- Leicester, Ipswich, Southampton --- were relegated. The year before, Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton all failed to survive in their first season in the top flight. "We'd have to look at a squad change and we're definitely planning that," Williamson said in the event of Wrexham securing a fourth straight promotion. While player changes have been frequent, manager Phil Parkinson has been a constant and was recently told by Mac that he has a job for life. His immediate focus is on an FA Cup upset against Chelsea. "We'll be going all out to produce a really good performance, and we'll see where that takes us on the night," he told the North Wales Chronicle. "But we know we've got to respect Chelsea. What a squad of players they've got. They've spent billions over the last 10 years. "They are Club World Cup champions --- I don't think we should forget that --- so statistically we are playing the best club in the world." ___ James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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