In the world of football, finding success often comes at a high price, and that remains true even in the lower tiers of English football.

Wrexham AFC, aiming for their third consecutive promotion, made headlines by acquiring striker Sam Smith from League One rival, Reading. The club, which is under the ownership of actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, confirmed Smith’s signing on Friday. The 26-year-old has established himself as one of the top scorers in League One.

While the exact transfer fee has not been officially unveiled, reports in British media suggest it to be around £2 million, equivalent to approximately $2.5 million. Although not an extravagant figure in the grand scheme, it represents a significant investment for a club at this level — notably, the same amount that Reynolds and McElhenney paid for Wrexham when they acquired it in 2021.

For Reading, who have been grappling with financial difficulties, the offer was too good to turn down. The club released a statement noting that while they were not actively pursuing Smith’s sale, Wrexham’s substantial offer would significantly alleviate some of the immediate financial challenges they faced.

Smith, who once played for the Manchester United academy, has been in excellent form this season, netting 11 goals and currently ranking as the fourth-highest scorer in League One. He has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Wrexham and expressed his excitement about joining the club and contributing toward its ambitions.

On the same day, Wrexham announced another new signing, 35-year-old striker Jay Rodriguez from Burnley, although the details of that transfer remain undisclosed. Rodriguez boasts a wealth of experience with 258 appearances in the Premier League and has scored 46 goals over his nine-season career. He expressed his hope to leverage his experience to benefit the Wrexham squad while also learning from it as well.

Wrexham has made remarkable strides in the football hierarchy, moving up from the fifth tier and now being just two levels away from the Premier League. However, they faced a setback recently, suffering their first home defeat of the season with a 3-2 loss to Stevenage on Tuesday. Striker Paul Mullin’s missed chance in stoppage time capped off a frustrating match.

Mullin, who underwent back surgery during the past summer, has struggled to regain his previous form, having only scored twice in his 25 league appearances this season, a stark contrast to his 24 goals in League Two last season.

Wrexham is set to play against Crawley on Saturday, looking to close the gap on the two teams currently above them in the standings. The top two positions in the league are vital, as they earn direct promotion to the Championship, while the next four teams will enter a playoff for an additional promotion spot.

At present, Wrexham sits in third place, trailing Wycombe by six points and eight points behind league leaders Birmingham City, who also has a celebrity influence with Tom Brady as a minority shareholder. Birmingham has made an impressive investment in their squad, spending a reported £15 million on striker Jay Stansfield from Fulham last summer, securing a League One transfer record in the process.