Wrexham reveals filming of TV show played part in Denmark star Eriksen rejecting contract offer

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WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — Having an Emmy-winning documentary series tell Wrexham’s story does not always help on the field for the fast-rising soccer club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

It is a big reason why Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen did not join in the offseason, Wrexham chief executive Michael Williamson revealed Wednesday.

The former Tottenham, Ajax and Inter Milan star was a free agent in July after leaving Manchester United and did not want to be filmed for a behind-the-scenes show like “Welcome to Wrexham.”

Eriksen famously collapsed and his heart stopped beating while playing for Denmark during a European Championship game in 2021 in Copenhagen.

His return to health and top-level action — first with Brentford, then Denmark and United — has been a globally popular soccer story and brought an offer from Wrexham to join its first season in the English league second tier since 1982.

“I reached out to the agent,” Williamson told the That Wrexham Podcast, “and what was really interesting in the first call is the reaction was, ‘We don’t want his story to be in a documentary, because we’ve had plenty of opportunities for a documentary for his story.’”

“He thought we were calling not because of his footballing capabilities but because we wanted a documentary story,” the CEO said. “I’m like: ‘Wait a minute. I didn’t even think about that’. Obviously, I’m aware of it, but that wasn’t the reason we were calling.”

The 33-year-old Eriksen, who plays with an implanted device to monitor his heart rhythm, ended up joining German top-tier side Wolfsburg in September after the transfer window closed.

Wrexham’s own transfer business ultimately improved, Williamson suggested, because the confidential interest in Eriksen was revealed by his agent.

“What it did was it sent a signal around the players’ market, if you will,” Williamson said. “That we were serious about being competitive.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer