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WHAT HAPPENED?
Hollywood superstars in North Wales have shown what can be achieved when high-profile figures are drafted into ambitious EFL projects. Wrexham, with an award-winning documentary series opening up a window to the world, have enjoyed back-to-back promotions and are now flying high in League One.
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GettyTHE GOSSIP
Tranmere, who sit in the bottom-half of League Two, are eager to tread a similar path. Current owner Palios has opened himself up to outside investment, with there talk of a consortium – headed by celebrity lawyer Joe Tacopina but also featuring Rihanna’s rap star partner A$AP Rocky – lining up a £15 million ($20m) approach.
WHAT TRANMERE OWNER SAID
Palios cannot give much away at this point, but has told Sky Sports: “It’s been no secret over the last two years in our accounts, we’ve said that we’ve been trying to attract investment into the club – although we are not formally for sale. That has been part of the strategy we have adopted in regards to moving the club on to the next stage. While I’m not confirming that A$AP Rocky is part of a consortium one way or another, there are a number of people out there. We are under an NDA, non-disclosure arrangement, so I can’t talk about individual parties but it is part of the plan that we would get people in to do that.”
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Getty/GOALDID YOU KNOW?
Palios added on raising Tranmere’s profile, as Rovers follow the lead of Football League rivals: “As soon as you bring celebrities into the club, then a lot of things can happen. We have seen that with Wrexham. I think what’s important is that there is a major opportunity in the US market at this point in time – partly because of what happened with Wrexham – but if you start to look at that as a market place for English clubs, there is about 85 million people – that is more than in the UK – that watch English football. I know that is heavily biased towards the Premier League, but of course Wrexham have made people interested in lower league clubs.”
Quizzed on when he would like to see a deal completed, Palios said with a smile: “ASAP!”
WHAT NEXT?
There has been talk of Wrexham seeking further investment at some stage, as those rumours begin to tick over again, with there suggestions that Reynolds and McElhenney could look to bring in more famous faces as they guide the Red Dragons towards a Premier League end goal.
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