Derby County sent John Textor takeover warning - 'it hasn’t worked at Watford' | OneFootball

FLW’s Derby County fan pundit has reacted to the news that John Textor would be looking to use his connections to Botafogo to bolster the squad.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Derby County’s revival in the Championship continued in midweek with a 2-1 victory away at Swansea City on Tuesday evening.

The Rams made it six wins in seven second-tier matches, as strikes from Joe Ward and Lars-Jørgen Salvesen at Vicarage Road propelled John Eustace’s men to the periphery of the play-off places.

Derby now sit seventh in the table, collecting 26 points from their opening 17 league games, and it’s a remarkable turnaround compared to the start of the campaign where the club was situated towards the bottom of the table with just one victory from their opening 10 games.

Eustace’s future was quite rightly called into question at that time, but he’s managed to turn the tide around completely and is beginning to work his magic once again like he did at Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City, where he got those sides into promotion contention during his two previous second-tier stints.

Meanwhile, off the pitch, there has been a lot of speculation over a change of ownership at Pride Park, with current Botafogo and former Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor linked with a takeover of the East Midlands outfit.

In an ambitious move, journalist Alan Nixon has reported on his Patreon page that the American businessman would be aiming to use his connections in Brazil to bolster the Derby squad, moving over young Panamanian striker Jose Kadir Barria and Vokonbian midfielder Jordan Barrera to Pride Park.

With this news in mind, FLW’s Derby County fan pundit has expressed his thoughts on whether he would welcome a move from Textor to buy Derby and if he approves of the transfer business that is outlined.

Derby County, John Textor takeover move branded as a “TV sketch”

Speaking to Football League World, Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward has revealed he does not want to see John Textor take over at Pride Park as he cannot firmly focus on Derby’s interests due to his commitments to other clubs, and has labeled any move as “far-fetched” and like a “TV sketch”.

Shaun said: “No, it’s not for me. It feels like Derby would be being used as a pawn in his game like it’s ‘Championship Manager’. It’s real life and I don’t like owners that have shares or own other clubs, it hasn’t worked at Watford or various other clubs that dabble in different clubs. It never really works as their sole focus isn’t just on one team.

“We want a chairman who has Derby at heart, like David Clowes. He may not have the clout that other chairman have, but Derby is important to him, and he makes the decisions based on what’s best for the club and not just what’s best for him, but I don’t think that John Textor would have those values.

“For me, it sounds a bit far-fetched and like a TV sketch for me, and I’d steer well clear.”

Derby County should look for more reliable owners than John Textor

Whenever John Textor is mentioned, controversy seems to follow, and it’s a figure that Derby County don’t need at this moment in time when they’re on such an upwards trajectory in the Championship.

The American has had his issues while being a co-owner of Crystal Palace, with his leadership role at Lyon ensuring the Eagles breached UEFA ownership rules and were not allowed to compete in the Europa League despite lifting the FA Cup last term.

Meanwhile, under his governance, Lyon narrowly avoided demotion from Ligue 1 after the club had reportedly entered a debt of €175m, with this leading to him leaving his roles at both clubs.

He still has involvement at both Botafogo and Daring Brussels, but is keen for another venture in England.

But as Derby fan pundit Shaun alluded to, can Textor give his full focus and commitment to Derby when he has control over other clubs in Europe? The answer is most likely no, with the Rams needing someone who is dedicated and passionate to see the club thrive and gain a place back in the Premier League.

Textor has attempted to sweeten the deal by offering Jose Kadir Barria and Jordan Barrera to join Derby in the Championship, but they’re unknown quantities, with many connected with the club not knowing much about their games and whether they could truly have an impact in England and particularly in such a physical division like the Championship.

Because of this, Derby should definitely not be selling up to someone who could put the club in a lot of danger, and should instead bide their time to get the right person in who has the finances to help ensure the club can develop into an English powerhouse in the coming years.