What will happen to David Clowes if Turki Alalshikh seals Derby County deal | OneFootball

The Rams' owner reportedly spent £55m completing his initial takeover in 2022

FLW takes a look at what will happen to Derby County owner David Clowes if Turki Alalshikh actually seals an investment deal with the Rams.

The update has been well-documented already, but, of course, it comes after John Percy reported that the East Midlands outfit are in ‘advanced talks’ with the Saudi government official over making said move happen.

Although the club have declined to comment at this stage, as per BBC Radio Derby’s Dominic Dietrich, what we do know is that negotiations are now at the stage where the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is carrying out all necessary checks.

The IFR, which was established in July 2025 to "protect and promote the sustainability of English football", is now being given perhaps its most high-profile test yet.

As, aside from being one of the most powerful men in global sport, Alalshikh would likely need to demonstrate that his funding was coming independently from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, who own Newcastle United.

What Turki Alalshikh's potential Derby County investment deal will mean for David Clowes

As noted by DerbyshireLive, the plan is for Clowes to remain as chairman should any deal be agreed, even if he were to relinquish the majority of his shareholding.

It is a stance the former pilot made clear at Derby County's Supporters' Board meeting last December, where he stated that any new investor would need to have the "financial ability to accelerate the club's progress towards its Premier League ambition."

It’s unclear how much investment the club could receive, but Clowes himself is reported to have spent around £55m when he completed the initial takeover in 2022.

Basically, the deal is most likely going to be structured so that Clowes would retain control even if he sells a majority stake, a setup clearly intended to protect the stability established since administration while providing the finances Derby need to mount a return to the Premier League.

What Derby County can learn from Turki Alalshikh's track record in football

Unlike what could be happening at Derby, Alalshikh fully bought Spanish second-division side UD Almeria in August 2019 for around £20m, but he still immediately set about changing the club's recruitment.

He signed a number of players, most notably a raw 20-year-old Uruguayan striker by the name of Darwin Núñez from Peñarol, and they subsequently reached La Liga for the first time in over a decade.

However, as owner, Alalshikh did go through five different managers in his first two seasons, so it’s probably for John Eustace's best it’s just an investment deal for Derby.

Before Almeria, Alalshikh's bought Assiouty Sport and rebranded it in the summer of 2018, moving it to Cairo and naming the club Pyramids FC. He's already sold both clubs, though, departing Pyramids in 2019 before leaving Almeria at the end of the 24/25 season after six years.

For Derby, the prospect of Alalshikh's involvement alongside Clowes could be the ideal scenario, but many Rams fans will want to know a lot more before making their own judgements.