Wrexham star Elliot Lee reveals surreal Ryan Reynolds phonecall & warns West Ham face Championship shock

ELLIOT LEE has warned his boyhood club West Ham that Hollywood-backed Wrexham are heading to London to deliver a brutal Championship reality check. The free-agent midfielder knows both clubs inside out after coming through the Hammers’ youth ranks before driving Wrexham’s sensational rise from non-league to the brink of the Premier League. Elliot Lee has warned West Ham that Wrexham are going to deliver a brutal reality check Credit: Rex Lee was struck by Ryan Reynolds’ total honesty and lack of ego during their conversation Credit: Shutterstock Editorial And Lee insists Phil Parkinson’s team actually boast MORE Championship battle-hardness than West Ham’s multi-million-pound squad ahead of tomorrow’s showdown. He told SunSport: “If you look at Wrexham’s team, the amount of Championship appearances in that squad is probably more than West Ham’s. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! “The Hammers are not a Championship club but the second tier is a completely different ball game and it’s tough. “They could struggle because many of their players don’t know the league as other teams do.” It is a far cry from the summer of 2022 when Lee dropped into the National League following a surreal phone call with Deadpool icon Ryan Reynolds. Lee was a seasoned EFL midfielder who had just left Luton when Wrexham made their ambitious move. He said: “My agent wasn’t sure whether to tell me because I’d never been in the National League. It wasn’t my intention to play there. “I had a couple of Zoom calls over that summer with Phil Parkinson and then I had a phone call with Ryan just before I signed.” Most read in Sport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Reynolds made no attempt to preach tactics to the experienced playmaker Credit: Getty What struck Lee immediately was the A-lister’s total honesty and lack of ego during their conversation. Reynolds made no attempt to preach tactics to the experienced playmaker, focusing purely on his vision for the club and town. Lee said: “It was just a normal chat with Ryan but the main thing was how genuine he was. He didn’t try to talk tactics with me. “If a Hollywood actor had tried to call me up and throw tactics at me, I probably wouldn’t have bought into it! But he was the complete opposite.” Lee witnessed first-hand how Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney transformed the working-class city into an emotional juggernaut. And the 31-year-old compares the fanatical passion at the Racecourse Ground to what his dad Rob Lee experienced during his time at Newcastle. Lee said: “Wrexham is a fishbowl where they live, breathe, and work for football. We compare it to my dad’s time at Newcastle with the overwhelming support. “The owners turned a city where there was maybe no hope into something so exciting. I’m an adopted Wrexham lad now.” Wrexham will meet West Ham at the London Stadium on Friday Credit: Getty That emotional roller-coaster reached its absolute peak on the unforgettable night Wrexham sealed their historic escape from non-league football after 15 years against Boreham Wood. Lee rates that night as the single greatest moment of his journey in North Wales. He said: “I don’t think you can beat getting out of the National League. The emotion around the place and with the owners was just amazing. “It was a night I’ll never forget because of the relief. It meant so much to the people of Wrexham to actually achieve it.” Lee, who played in the Premier League and scored in Europe for West Ham, knows the Irons face a brutal adjustment period in the second tier. With Friday’s game being the Hammers’ third in six days, Lee warns the relentless grind will test them to the limit. He said: “It’s a real grind and the games come thick and fast. It’s very different to the Premier League. He compares the fanatical passion to what his dad Rob Lee experienced at Newcastle Credit: Getty Jarrod Bowen pointed to Jarrod Bowen as the man who must take West Ham back to the Prem Credit: Shutterstock Editorial “It might take some of the players a while to adjust, but you just have to hope their talent shines through.” He also points to club captain Jarrod Bowen as the man who must carry the entire club back to the big time. Lee said: “Jarrod staying as captain was huge. It’s up to him now and he’s got to have it all on his back to get them back up.” After earning five career promotions, Lee is now keeping fit as a free agent while waiting for the right project to catch his eye. Along with his three with Wrexham, the midfielder also went up from League Two to the Championship with Luton. He added: “I don’t plan to be out too long. I want to find another home and add a few more promotions to the CV.” Comment now