‘They were fond of mustard’ – Wrexham manager Humphrey Ker reveals how he persuaded Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds to buy the club

Wrexham’s fairytale history captured the attention of fans around the world following the club’s Hollywood takeover in 2020.

Actors and co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny have overseen the Welsh team’s upturn in fortunes, which recently saw them secure promotion to League One.

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But Dragons executive director Humphrey Ker revealed it could easily have been another team capitalizing on their meteoric rise, which was the subject of a documentary series.

The actor and writer joined Jim White and Simon Jordan on talkSPORT ahead of the launch of the latest season of ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, which charts the club’s journey following its purchase by the A-listers.

Ker explained that he and McElhenny’s initial idea to buy a football club began as “idle pub talk”, before the current owner became determined to see the plan through.

He told talkSPORT: “Rob is a bit of a force of nature, and he’s a natural producer and he’s someone who just does the things he wants to do.”

The Englishman explained that he suggested investing in Wrexham, after being tasked with finding a club for the American duo to buy, as the biggest football fans of the three.

Ker said: “My job initially was to (find a club). When it was still an idle discussion in a pub, when it was like, ‘Which club would you buy?’. I’m a big football fan .

He continued: “So I made a little list of eight clubs in the National League, a few in League Two, I think there was one in the National League North at that stage.

“It was like, ‘Well, these seem like good, viable options.’

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“(I) did a little matrix, rated them out of 10 in five categories and Wrexham came out on top.”

Ker explained that he had identified Wrexham as a club with huge potential, highlighting the club’s once-large fan base, geographical location and previous experiences in European football.

The self-confessed Liverpool supporter explained his thought process: “There are 750,000 people in North West Wales.

“A lot of them are Everton fans, Liverpool fans, (Manchester) City fans, (Manchester) United fans. They go through Wrexham to get to the Premier League grounds.

“We knew they were making 35,000 a week when they were back in Division Two, that was then, effectively the Championship now.”

He then highlighted the club’s “extraordinary European history”, reminding listeners of the Welsh side’s victory over Portuguese giants Porto in the 1984 European Cup Winners’ Cup.

After pleading for the Hollywood duo to consider investing their money in the side he described as a “sleeping giant”, Ker revealed they were easily persuaded to make the purchase.

He told White and Jordan, “They were pretty into mustard,” despite his complete inexperience in the football industry.

The recent sports signing then joked: “At that point, ridiculously, I was the person they knew with the most experience and knowledge when it came to football.

“Luckily, they met a few more people who knew what they were talking about.”

With next season a chance for the Robins to aim for a third consecutive promotion, which would see them climb to the second tier of English football, Ker admitted he had slightly more realistic expectations for the campaign.

Regarding their run in League One, he said: “I would be happy if we finished 10th because that will allow us to consolidate and build.”

Despite this, he refused to rule out another remarkable year, teasing: “We have every chance of achieving something special again next year.”