Alan Shearer gets blunt response from Wrexham chiefs after comments about Ryan Reynolds' side
Wrexham secured a third successive promotion last month to book their place in the Championship next season, but doubts have been raised over their ability to compete
Wrexham officials have robustly answered critics sceptical of their Championship chances next season.
Phil Parkinson's team achieved an impressive third consecutive promotion last month following a second-place finish in League One, trailing only behind Birmingham City. With the investment of Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the Red Dragons have soared through the football pyramid and are now aiming to reach the Premier League.
However, some football experts, including Newcastle United icon Alan Shearer, have expressed concerns about their ability to compete at a higher level. He made his comments despite voicing his wish for Wrexham and Birmingham to play in the top-tier.
"I would like to see both Birmingham and Wrexham in the Premier League one day," Shearer told Betfair. "I think it's great what's happening at those football clubs. But I also would be cautious because of what they'll be able to spend in the Championship.
"It's very different in League One to what they can come in and do in the Championship. Whether they'll be able to go on and push on as much as they'd like, or can in terms of financials, is very different now they've reached that level."
Wrexham assistant manager Steve Parkin has robustly defended the team's potential to compete, as he dismissed scepticism surrounding their ambitions. Speaking to The Leader, he said: "I heard some rubbish a couple of weeks ago that if Wrexham got in the Championship, we'd struggle.
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"[I thought] hang on a minute, can we just enjoy this - a remarkable achievement - and see what happens. Plenty of people would have accepted mid-table mediocrity in League One, so to finish in second spot behind a remarkable Birmingham team is absolutely phenomenal.
"We are going to enjoy it because these are the times you should be with your family and friends, and really enjoy them." In a similar vein of confidence, Wrexham chief executive Michael Williamson has boldly said that the club's ascent to the Premier League is almost a given.
While speaking on the Breakfast with Vossy and Brandy radio show, the ex-Inter Milan executive expressed his amazement at the club's incredible rise. "You really could not write this stuff if you tried," he said.
"With some of the things, I'm like, 'Did that really happen?' It's truly remarkable and it's almost like it's meant to be that we will arrive in the Premier League at some point. Clearly, the stars are aligned on this.
"My key [measure] of what makes us successful is that if we arrive in the Premier League, or when we arrive in the Premier League, we are able to stay there and not have it where we just come straight back down."
Shearer isn't alone in questioning Wrexham's ability to compete in the Championship, with former Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur boss Tim Sherwood expressing doubts about their readiness compared to Birmingham.
In a chat with OLBG, Sherwood said: "It'll be harder for Wrexham to go back-to-back than Birmingham. Obviously the fanbase is a little bit bigger there so they can spend more money. There is a lot of surgery they (Wrexham) would need to be able to do to survive in the Championship, to their players and the playing squad."