David Clowes claim made amid Turki Alalshikh, Derby County talk | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County fan pundit has given his verdict on a potential takeover of the club by Turki Alalshikh

Derby County are gearing up for a potentially busy summer transfer window after narrowly missing out on a play-off place.

The Rams lost out to Hull City in the battle for sixth place, with a 2-1 loss to Sheffield United on the final day ending their hopes of promotion.

John Eustace’s side enjoyed a rise up the Championship table over the last 12 months, having avoided relegation by just one point in 2025.

Another top eight finish next year will earn the club a shot at promotion, with clubs voting this season to expand the play-offs to include two more teams from the next campaign.

Owner David Clowes will be hoping that Eustace can maintain the team’s competitive level, with the club going from strength to strength since he took over in 2022.

Derby haven’t competed in the Premier League since 2008, and their last top six finish in the second division came under Frank Lampard in 2019.

David Clowes is the man to bring Derby County forward

Turki Alalshikh has stirred up a lot of noise regarding a potential takeover at Derby following his move to follow a number of accounts linked to the Rams on social media.

The Saudi Arabian has previously been linked with deals to buy multiple Championship sides, including Bristol City, but no deal has ever come to fruition.

The Rams were the subject of takeover interest earlier in the year, with John Textor seeking a deal to buy the club, which also failed to materialise into a concrete agreement.

When asked about Alalshikh potentially taking over at Pride Park, FLW’s Derby fan pundit Shaun Woodward claimed that he is happy with the slow and steady approach to progress that Clowes has overseen in the last four years.

While he believes that someone with Alalshikh’s level of wealth could be a welcome addition to the ownership structure, his preference is for the Clowes to remain the man in charge.

“I’ll believe this when I see it,” Woodward told Football League World.

“I think it could just be really clever marketing by his team to get him some traction on social media.

“He’s been linked with other clubs which hasn’t materialised, and while it would be good to have an owner who has the money to move the club forward in some ways.

“I think I would personally rather stay with someone like David Clowes, who genuinely cares about the club, the fans and the city.

“He’s doing something that’s sustainable, he’s building slowly, so we’re not over-spending.

“And I would rather stay as we are now if I’m totally honest, even if it means it’s going to take us a bit more time to get to where we want to be.

“Not saying it wouldn’t be great to have someone in the club with a lot of money, and I do believe if David Clowes was to sell to this gentleman then he would do it because he feels he’s the right person to take us forward.

“So I would fully trust David Clowes if he did sell.

“But personally, I would rather stay with what we have and build sustainably and in the right way, so we never go back to where we were a few years ago.”

Derby went into administration in 2022, which led to their relegation from the Championship under Wayne Rooney.

But the Rams returned to the second tier in 2024 under Paul Warne, securing a 19th place finish in the table in their first year back at this level.

Eustace has taken the club into promotion contention since becoming head coach in February 2025.

Derby will be hoping to contend for another top eight finish next season, as they eye a return to the top flight for the first time in nearly 20 years.

David Clowes has brought stability to Derby

Derby were in dire financial straits prior to Clowes’ ownership, and he has done a remarkable job in turning things around in the years since.

That stability has been fantastic for the club and its supporters, and any ownership change risks that work being undone.

Alalshikh has been linked with a number of deals in the Championship and it is now at a point where many won’t believe he will buy a club until a deal is signed, sealed and delivered.

Given Clowes’ popularity at Pride Park, many fans may want to see him remain in charge for the time being, especially after the success of last year and their rise into promotion contention.