'Shocked' - Derby County takeover update sparks fresh reaction | OneFootball

Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward has admitted he was relieved that Turki Alalshikh's deal to buy the club fell through at the last minute.

Turki Alalshikh pulled out of a deal to buy Derby County at the last minute, even after the takeover had been approved by the EFL and Independent Football Regulator.

It’s no secret that the Saudi businessman was keen on purchasing the Rams, with talks having taken place with owner David Clowes regularly over the summer.

Of course, it’s not a straightforward process, so fans have been eagerly awaiting developments, in the expectation that the deal would be finalised.

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Derby County confirm Turki Alalshikh takeover is off

Therefore, it came as a huge surprise when the club released a statement on Monday evening confirming that a deal would not be happening.

In the update, Derby explained that discussions with Lion Sport, the company Alalshikh was behind, were over, even though the takeover had been approved by the relevant parties.

Meanwhile, Alalshikh took to social media to share his side of the story, as he claimed the ‘process’ had left them with not enough time to make the changes to the team that he would’ve wanted.

As a result, he felt he had to pull out of the deal, even if he didn’t rule out returning with another bid for Derby in the future, as he stated that he will ‘remain in conversation’ with the club.

Derby County told they should be pleased with Turki Alalshikh's takeover failure

Given the wealth of the Saudi businessman, many Derby fans had been dreaming about the progress that the club could have made had the takeover gone through.

Yet, when asked by FLW for his thoughts on the last-minute u-turn from Alalshikh, Derby fan pundit Shaun Woodward admitted that he was actually relieved it hadn’t gone through as he doubted the commitment of the boxing promoter, although he acknowledged it could have impacted their transfer plans this summer.

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“Where do I start with this one? When I heard the news, I was shocked, like most Derby fans, and I couldn’t quite believe what I was reading. It’s so close to the season starting, so it was a bombshell and one that I didn’t expect.

“I really felt this would happen, and I think, now, having slept on it and reading what Alalshikh had to say, about needing more time to make the team competitive, as well as remaining in communication with the club, I do feel we have dodged a bullet here.

“I think he was going to use Derby as a shiny toy and throw us away when things got tough. So, I’d rather people like that stay away. We’ve been through tough times, and we want stability at the club.

“It might take more time to get where we want to be, but I completely trust Clowes, and I’d rather us do things slowly and in a sustainable way, and if that means Clowes stays in charge for a few more years, then so be it.

“It would have been lovely to have serious money at the club, but looking at what Alashikh had to say, he wasn’t the right person.

“Now, we need to concentrate on the new season, and the only worry for me, or frustration, is that it looks as though we’ve waited for this deal to go through before making some signings. So, I hope there was a Plan B in place because we are desperately lacking players in key areas of the pitch, which was evident against Lincoln on Saturday.

“We need a central midfielder alongside Lewis Travis - David Ozoh would be ideal. We need wide men, and Carlton Morris needs support up top, as he is not looking like the same player that we saw prior to his injury.

“We need players through the door to support the first XI, and if we do that, I’m confident we can have another good season, because I fully back John Eustace, and Clowes is the man to carry us forward, even if it does take us longer to get where we want to be.

“So, in the cold light of day, I’m happy that Alalshikh didn’t purchase the club.”

Derby County must back John Eustace in the final weeks of the transfer window

Most fans would agree that the major current concerns centres on the transfer window, as the squad is looking weak in certain areas.

You can understand why the club may have held off on potential deals when the takeover was expected to happen, which made sense for a host of reasons.

Now, though, they have to act swiftly, as Eustace is a quality manager at this level, and, given the new play-off format, there will be a belief at Derby that they can win promotion to the Premier League.

So, it could be a very busy final few weeks of the transfer window, and it will be very interesting to see what sort of business Derby can get done, and how the XI looks when the deadline has passed.