Wrexham star Ollie Palmer riled up Ipswich Town fans with a bizarre comparison the striker made between Ed Sheeran and his club’s co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Speaking on his team-mate Ben Foster’s Fozcast podcast, Palmer aimed the jab at the freshly-promoted Championship outfit in the context of discussing the sensational impact that the Hollywood owners have had on transforming Wrexham’s prospects.
The Welsh side gained promotion at the second time of asking under Reynolds and McElhenney with a record 111 points just a year after suffering play-off heartbreak in the semi-finals at the hands of Grimsby Town.
Wrexham’s promotion heroes celebrated their landmark success with a bumper four-day all-expenses-paid party holiday in Las Vegas, where they were greeted lavishly by their hosts in Sin City.
Foster and Palmer were keen to heap praise on their owners, and as they did so, Sheeran was drawn into the conversation as a point of comparison.
Ollie Palmer found himself in hot water after making an erroneous comparison between Ed Sheeran and Wrexham’s Hollywood ownership
Sheeran (centre) is a long-term fan of the Tractor Boys and has sponsored their shirt for three seasons – but has never had an ownership stake
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds (left and right) took over Wrexham for £2m in 2021
‘There’s names as big as [Reynolds and McElhenney] that own football clubs, lower league,’ Palmer said.
‘Ed Sheeran, Ipswich. I don’t know what his share of it is, [he’s] part-owner. Has he done what these two guys have done?’
‘Nowhere near it,’ Foster replied. ‘They have just been promoted, in fairness to them, but still.’
‘How long has Ed Sheeran been there? Six years? Seven years? And he’s as big as Ryan and Rob, right? Ed Sheeran is huge,’ Palmer added.
When Foster argued that Sheeran wasn’t in the same ‘bracket’ as Reynolds and McElhenney, Palmer continued: ‘I’m putting Ed Sheeran up there. I’ll ask you: has Ed Sheeran done as much for Ipswich as Rob and Ryan have done?
‘It’s not easy what they’re doing. They make it look easy. And I’m sure Ed Sheeran’s a great guy, I’m just trying to leverage what Rob and Ryan have done – it’s not just the status, [it’s] the hard work they’ve put in.’
Sheeran is a long-term fan of the Tractor Boys, having grown up in Framlingham in Suffolk, and has sponsored the Ipswich Town kit for both the men and the women’s side since the 2020-21 campaign, extending his deal with the club for another season in October 2022.
Despite there being little resemblance between his commitment to the side and Reynolds and McElhenney’s £2million takeover, neither Foster nor his co-host Tom Ochoa challenged the false claims, but fans were quick to take to Twitter to offer a swift rebuttle.
A number of fans took to Twitter to call for an apology from the misinformed League Two stars
One user posted: ‘Disappointing from Oli Palmer (sic) throwing shade on Ed Sheeran compared to Rob/Ryan. “What has he done for Ipswich.” He’s a sponsor not an owner. The owners do amazing stuff in the community and his money greatly helps that. Misinformed unfortunately.’
Luke Woolfenden, one of the Ipswich defenders who helped the side seal promotion from League One this season, tweeted: ‘What a weird thing to make up’.
Other fans were similarly nonplussed, with one commenting: ‘Been a shirt sponsor for 2 years and now he’s apparently been one of the owners for 6 years? Christ, thought they’d research that sort of stuff before passing comment on a largely popular podcast’.
Another added: ‘There were 50,000 Ipswich shirts sold all around the globe with Ed Sheeran’s SPONSORSHIP on them this season. He isn’t nor ever been an owner. If those 2 Hollywood stars want to chuck their money around that’s up to them but don’t compare yourself to other clubs without research’.
The pop star has frequently sported his own sponsored kit at concerts around the world
Luke Woolfenden (centre) commented on the unfolding furore weeks after securing Championship football next season
Many fans praised Ipswich’s ownership – US investment group Gamechanger 20 Limited – for their role in the community and ensuring a sustainable future for the future Championship side.
The US owners purchased a majority stake in the club in 2021, with former owner Marcus Evans remaing a minority shareholder.
Sheeran has been pictured wearing his shirt at a number of concerts and recently watched Ipswich thrash Wycombe Wanderers 4-0 at Portman Road.
The Tractor Boys received automatic promotion after finishing second in League One this season, but narrowly missed out on making history with their first 100-point, 100-goal season after drawing 2-2 against Fleetwood Town on the final day of the season.
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