Wrexham, who enjoyed a fairytale return to league football this season, is looking to extend goalkeeper Ben Foster’s contract.
Wrexham has had an outstanding season, winning the National League and gaining promotion to the English Football League (EFL), the fourth division of English football.
Ben Foster came out of retirement in March by signing for Wrexham. He previously played for them in 2005 on loan. The former England international was signed as the replacement for an injured Rob Lainton as Wrexham entered a crucial period of their season. He played as the goalkeeper for the last eight games of the National League season, assisting Wrexham to the title win.
This gained them automatic promotion to the Football League after a 15-year break. Ben famously made a penalty save in the dying minutes of a crucial game against title rivals Notts County. The save made him beloved across the fanbase and earned him much recognition, including from co-owner Ryan Reynolds. He is now a fan favorite there and many fans surely want to see him stay at the club for some more time.
Is Ben Foster going to retire or continue?
The 40-year-old has now revealed that he is interested in continuing for the next season as well.
He said this after confirming the title win, “You have to contemplate it because to be part of Wrexham is a special thing. It’s nice to be a man of leisure and freedom and I really enjoyed my retirement. I had a great time for nine months.
“But everybody who plays here can see that Wrexham is a really special club.”
Wrexham is now heavily contemplating keeping the fan favorite for another season. They have begun talks with the goalkeeper.
Wrexham are to hold talks with Ben Foster over whether the former England goalkeeper wants to prolong his career with them in the English Football League 🔴 ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/d1fWT7YEX0
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 15, 2023
Manager Phil Parkinson will now have to see whether Foster does continue for another season or not. He already has two goalkeepers, Rob Lainton and Mark Howard.
According to the Leader, he said, “I will sit down with Ben in the next day or two and have a really good chat, and see what his thoughts are.”
“We have got some good goalkeepers under contract as well so we will speak with Ben and make a decision which is right for him and right for us going forward.”
Wrexham and their rise to global fame
In November 2020, co-creator Rob McElhenney and Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds purchased Wrexham for $2.5 million. The third-oldest football club in the world has since expanded its fan base globally.
Welcome To Wrexham, an FX documentary that debuted on Disney+ in the UK, examines the club’s new beginning with the transition to its new management. The documentary brought the club to global fame. They have now acquired more than one million followers on their social media platforms.
The Wrexham story is INSANE:
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) April 22, 2023
• Bought for $2.5M
• Produced docu-series on FX
• Added 1M+ social media followers
• Tripled season ticket purchases
• Signed sponsorships with TikTok, Expedia, etc.
And now they've been promoted back to the EFL for the first time in 15 years. pic.twitter.com/fwEtELDovF
Wrexham has surpassed the budget and expenditure of their other National League opponents. According to sources, more than £10 million has been invested in completely revamping the club. They have also signed sponsorship deals with TikTok and Expedia.
In an effort to entice attackers Ollie Palmer and Paul Mullin away from Football League teams, the team has seen significant investment in transfer fees and wages, as well as enhanced training facilities with the construction of a new performance gym on the grounds of the stadium. All of these have tripled their season ticket purchases.
The team has already finished their season. They will next face Chelsea in the Florida Cup on July 19 before taking on Manchester United in a pre-season friendly in July in San Diego.
