Former Premier League star Landon Donovan has thrown down the gauntlet to Ryan Reynolds after casting doubt on Wrexham's fairytale rise. Since being taken over by the Deadpool actor and his fellow screen star Rob McElhenney in February 2021, the Welsh club have achieved an impressive three consecutive promotions. The Red Dragons are now gearing up for their first season back in the second tier after a 43-year absence. The Hollywood duo have been lauded for their impact on Wrexham's fortunes, with their ambitions now set on reaching the Premier League. However, ex-Everton midfielder Donovan has questioned the narrative of the team's ascent depicted in the Welcome to Wrexham documentary. Appearing on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast, which he presents alongside US legend Tim Howard, Donovan suggested that the owners' success was largely due to significant financial investment. He also put Reynolds and McElhenney on the spot about whether they're prepared to dig deeper into their pockets to help Wrexham's push for the top flight. "If you watch the show, you think it's some miracle, but it's not a miracle," Donovan said. "It's an amazing story, but they have also spent at the top of every one of the leagues they've been in. "The question now is whether they can do it in the Championship. My first thought was no, but I did see a report last week that they were willing to offer a player £50,000 a week. "They clearly have the money to do it, but are they going to take the risk? It's a big risk now, and you could lose £30m or £40m and not get promoted. It's going to be interesting to watch." However, Howard was more upbeat about Wrexham's chances of making the challenging leap to the top. Despite acknowledging the substantial investment in the team, the ex-Manchester United goalkeeper highlighted that splashing out money doesn't always equate to success. Howard said: "They say the hardest jump in all of the promotions is from the Championship to the Premier League , because there is just more money in that league. "Money makes the world go round when it comes to football or sports, and they [Wrexham] are pumping a tonne of money into that team. They're just better and if they continue to do that, I think they could possibly do it [be promoted]. "It's mind-blowing if you think about it because this could have easily gone the other way. It could have easily gone really bad because they spent a tonne of money on the wrong players and didn't get this success." He added: "The Premier League is filled with all sorts of crazy stories and I hope they are able to do it." Several current Premier League stars have been rumoured for a potential switch to Wrexham following their promotion. These include Fulham's Tom Cairney and the West Ham United pair of Danny Ings and Aaron Cresswell. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.