Fresh reaction given to Derby County, David Clowes update - 'this is brilliant news' | OneFootball

FLW's Rams Fan Pundit makes big claim regarding the fresh Supporters' Board meeting news

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…

You'll be hard-pressed to find an owner in English football as appreciated by their club's fans as Derby County's David Clowes.

Since finalising his takeover of then-League One Rams on 1st July 2022, who had been in administration for nine months, the East Midlands outfit are continuing to go from strength to strength both on and off the pitch.

In the club's February Supporters' Board meeting, one thing that was revealed was Clowes' reaffirmation of his commitment to carry on funding the club in line with previous agreements.

Given that there had been reports of multiple interested parties wanting to complete a takeover from Clowes as recently as November 2025, this fresh update is undoubtedly a big one.

FLW's Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, spoke about what this will actually mean for the club going forward.

David Clowes' new Derby County pledge is 'brilliant news'

Firstly, Woodward welcomed the news that Clowes will continue to lead and fund the club himself, which pretty much eliminates any prospect of a rushed takeover.

"This is brilliant news for all Derby fans because it means that, long-term, the club’s in safe hands," the Fan Pundit told FLW, adding, "If David Clowes decides when the time is right to pass on the reigns to someone else, he’ll do so when it’s the right deal for Derby, not just because he wants out."

The Telegraph reported in late 2024 that former Pilot Clowes was open to bringing in external investment - so much so that he was apparently willing to sell up to 80% of the club.

However, after later meetings with the Supporters’ Board in November and December last year, the Rams' owner reaffirmed that stability and integrity would remain central to any future ownership decisions.

As already mentioned, at that time, interest was drawn from parties apparently including John Textor and James Bord - the latter of whom has just withdrawn from his plans to purchase already relegated Sheffield Wednesday.

With this in mind, Woodward continued by saying, "I think, it gives us stability, and it gives David Clowes kind of the power to actually take his time in finding the right buyer for the club over the next few years - rather than rushing something through and not getting it right.

"It’s a win-win for Derby, and it’s a brilliant opportunity for us to just consolidate now for the next couple of years without having to worry about 'is he going to sell?' - and so, if he does sell, we’ll know it’s to the right person, because he could actually subside running the club for a number of years."

'Exciting times' ahead at Derby County following fresh David Clowes update

Regardless of Clowes' commitment to carry on funding the club, there is a lot for Derby fans to be excited about in the future - especially transfer-wise, which was also brought up in the aforementioned meeting.

The transfer strategy of buying first-team players low and then selling them high - for profit - is still being focused on. Whilst we haven't seen any of that yet, the Patrick Agyemang transfer talk for £20m+, or the £15m Jacob Widell Zetterstrom reports are perhaps things that could become concrete in the summer.

Which is what Woodward concluded on, claiming, "What he’s [Clowes] achieved so far at Derby in a short space of time has been amazing, and he’s also been willing to back the club sensibly.

"We’ve got some great assets now, and hopefully we can make some money off of those and reinvest - which I’m sure David Clowes will want to do - and put us in an even stronger position for next season.

"It’s exciting times, and I’m really pleased to hear that David Clowes isn’t in any rush to sell."

Ultimately, only the owner himself will know when the time is right to sell, but I'm sure every single other Derby fan shares Woodward's view on this update - especially since some worry was caused by the earlier interest from the likes of Textor and Bord.