Foster reveals how Wrexham's Hollywood owners convinced him to stay
Ben Foster reveals Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney ‘pinned him into a corner’ and set up a WhatsApp group to convince him to sign a new deal
- Goalkeeper Ben Foster, 40, resigned for Wrexham on a new one-year deal
- Foster revealed how Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney convinced him to stay
- Wrexham will be seeking to launch an immediate promotion push in League Two
Ben Foster has claimed Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney ‘pinned him into a corner’ to ensure he agreed to stay at the club following their promotion back to the Football League.
The 40-year-old shot-stopper joined the Welsh club for the final eight games of the National League season.
Foster produced a crucial penalty save to help Wrexham beat their title rivals Notts County, with the Red Dragons sealing promotion to League Two with a record 111 points.
The former England goalkeeper has now agreed a 12-month contract after weeks of deliberation.
He revealed Reynolds and McElhenney had first approached him over extending his stay during Wrexham’s open top bus parade after clinching the National League title.
Ben Foster revealed Wrexham’s owners pinned him in a corner to convince him to re-sign
Foster’s injury time penalty save against Notts County proved crucial to the club’s promotion
Foster (right) has enjoyed a close friendship with Wrexham co-chairman Ryan Reynolds (left)
The Hollywood owners then set up a WhatsApp group to continue their push to convince him to sign fresh terms.
‘They basically sort of like pinned me into a corner like right. “Next season, what’s happening next?”, Foster said on his Fozcast podcast.
‘I was like I don’t know and they were like listen ‘we want you to be back. We need you back’. And I went “yeah I going to have to think about it, I’ve love it so much and I will put so much thought into it.
‘It was it was a foregone conclusion, it really was.
‘I was actually out in Belfast with Boaz and Bronte playing a bit of golf out there and out of nowhere a WhatsApp group just gets made on my phone and it was called ‘Hands of Fozz’.
‘There were three people in it and it was Rob it was Ryan and it was me. Straight away it was like they just jumped on and go right fozzy come on we’re doing this or what.
‘I’m like lads don’t worry about it ring me tomorrow if you want. Rob was like “I’ll ring you now” so he’s there I’m like ‘yes mate don’t even worry about it we’ll sort it all’.
‘He was like “cool that’s gospel yeah like your words. You’re a man right if you’re saying it”. And I was like yep “cool we’re doing it don’t worry.”’
Wrexham’s owners will be targeting an immediate push for promotion from League Two
The goalkeeper was embraced by a stunned Reynolds in the tunnel during a match last season
The former Manchester United, Watford, Birmingham and West Brom star has struck up a particularly close relationship with co-chairmen Reynolds and McElhenney.
After his match-winning display against Notts County he revealed the Hollywood stars could not contain their excitement around him.
‘Rob kissed me fully on the lips and Ryan called me a double handsome b*****d,’ Foster said after the game. ‘I’ll take that.’
‘They’re so happy, if you could order an absolute bob on, top of the class, top of the range owner, then you would just package them two up because they are as good as it gets.
‘It means so much to them, they care so much, they do it properly. I’ve been here for what three weeks now and it’s ran so professionally you would not believe. It is ridiculous how they run it, so fair play to them they deserve all they get.’
Foster has also revealed the co-chairman have agreed to allow him to return later to pre-season training, having booked a family holiday during his retirement before joining the club.
The veteran goalkeeper had agreed special conditions with Reynolds and McElhenney when he joined the club.
Foster praised the co-owners for their flexibility in permitting him to train three times a week at the back end of the season.
Renewing Foster’s deal was viewed as a priority by the club as they seek to launch an immediate promotion challenge in League Two.
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