‘French Wrexham’ Le Mans might reach the top-flight before Wrexham, with Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois investing in their club.
Wrexham are living the dream of every non-league team for over 5 years now. Since 2021, the Red Dragons have stepped up from the National League to League Two, to League One and currently promoted to the Championship. A Premier League promotion next will be the perfect chapter in Wrexham’s success story.
Doesn’t matter if it takes 3 months or 3 years to play top-flight football, Wrexham will be an example to behold for other lower-tier clubs worldwide. French League 2 outfit Le Mans are often hailed as one of the current admirers of the Red Dragons.
They are commonly billed as the ‘French Wrexham’ for having a similar rise from the fifth tier to the second tier of French football within ten years. Having high-profile celebrity owners is another similarity between Wrexham and their French counterparts Le Mans. Now, the ‘French Wrexham’ have joined hands with another global superstar.
Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois invests in Le Mans
Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois ranks among the best goalkeepers in present day club football. With 2 UEFA Champions League titles, 4 La Liga and 2 Premier League trophies under his belt Courtois has already earned a legendary status in the sport.
Off the field, Courtois has recently invested in Le Mans. In his own words, Fabrizio Romano confirmed this update saying: “Thibaut Courtois becomes one of the owners of Le Mans FC, investing in the French club. The investors group already includes Novak Djokovic, Felipe Massa, Kevin Magnussen.”
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For a change, the ‘French Wrexham’ don’t have the Hollywood firepower just yet unlike Wrexham. All four of Le Mans celebrity owners are athletes and Thibaut Courtois is an active professional football player. Hence, they will most likely have enough knowledge about running sports teams than what Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac had while taking over Wrexham.
‘French Wrexham’ might reach top-flight before Wrexham
As with Wrexham, there are always fans, pundits as well as rivals wondering when they can reach the Premier League. Same discussions will now surround Le Mans, who also are in the midst of a top-flight promotion chasing season just as Phil Parkinson’s men.
Now, the question emerges. Can the ‘French Wrexham’ Le Mans reach the top-flight before Wrexham? First of all, they sit fifth in the French second tier with 39 points earned from 23 matchdays. In comparison, Wrexham are a bit farther from the top and lie at seventh place in the Championship as things stand.
READ MORE: ‘Yes’ – Wrexham have 2 more reasons to fear Ipswich Town game
READ MORE: 2 winners and 2 losers from Wrexham vs Chelsea FA Cup draw
READ MORE: Phil Parkinson’s 3-1 claim says he missed one Wrexham starter vs Bristol City
However, here’s the catch. Wrexham trail Championship leaders Coventry City by 14 points while Le Mans are only 3 points behind the Ligue 2 top spot. That gives Le Mans an upper hand over the Reds in terms of hoping for direct Ligue 1 promotion as one of the two automatic entrants.
Even if they miss out on clinching an automatic Ligue 1 spot, Le Mans can try for promotion through the playoffs route. As opposed to 4 playoffs achievers in the Championship, the French second tier allows 3 teams sitting 3rd, 4th and 5th to compete for promotion playoffs.
If Le Mans remained fifth until the league season, they will have to lock horns with their fourth placed rivals. Win that game, and then meet the team in third in Ligue 2. Another win will also not suffice, as the French promotion system follows a promotion and relegation playoff on top of these knockouts.
If Le Mans successfully beat the teams in fourth and third place in Ligue 2, they will have to get past Ligue 1’s sixteenth ranked club to finally assure themselves of a top-flight entry. Wrexham have a comparatively less complicated playoffs scenario in front of them.
But wish, Phil Parkinson’s men weren’t going through a two game winless streak in the Championship. Tomorrow’s Ipswich Town game is a big game at the wrong time for a struggling Wrexham side. Let’s hope the Reds still get the job done, or atleast take a vital point from the Racecourse.
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- 2 winners and 2 losers from Wrexham vs Chelsea FA Cup draw
- Phil Parkinson’s 3-1 claim says he missed one Wrexham starter vs Bristol City
- Wrexham predicted lineup vs Bristol City: Zak Vyner to make his debut?
- 3 Wrexham vs Bristol City player battles ahead of away Championship fixture
