Derby County: David Clowes' net worth compared to the richest Premier League owners | OneFootball

The local businessman bought the club in its final hour in July 2022.

Derby County supporters hold their owner, David Clowes, in very high regard.

After saving the club from liquidation in 2022, the local businessman has masterminded every step of the Rams' return to the Championship, which occurred in April 2024, less than two years after he purchased them.

A life-long supporter, Clowes never set out to buy his team, but felt like he had to with Derby just two weeks away from disappearing into the abyss.

Mel Morris, the previous owner, had placed the Rams into administration in September 2021, leaving the club in the hands of administrators Quantuma. A season of belief, disappointment and eventual heartbreak saw the playing team nearly recover from a 21-point deduction to keep Derby in the Championship, but it proved too much.

With not much hope of a new buyer in the summer of 2022, Clowes came along and paid the £55 million to take the club out of administration and got ready to start the new League One season.

Football League World has taken a look at the 55-year-old's net worth, and how it compares to some of the richest owners in the Premier League.

Clowes ranks towards the lower end of the Premier League scale

Clowes is currently the Chairman of Clowes Developments, a business that he took over following his Father's death in 2015.

He works alongside other members of his family at the company, and in the past, Clowes Developments sponsored local non-league side, Matlock Town.

However, a lot of his day-to-day business is seemingly with Derby, a club that he has poured his heart and soul into.

According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2024, Clowes and his family are the 348th most wealthy people in the UK, with an estimated net worth of £360 million - up from £350 million in 2023.

Although it is just an estimation, it is a good idea of how much of his wealth he has spent on Derby already.

In comparison to owners in the Premier League, Clowes ranks 19th in GiveMeSport's table, above Brentford owner Matthew Benham, but below rivals Nottingham Forest's Evangelos Marinakis, who is estimated to have a net worth of £479 million.

The Rams have a bright future under Clowes

After years of hardship, Derby have turned a corner, and the sun is shining once again on the black-and-white pocket of the East Midlands.

The Rams have had an excellent start to the new Championship campaign, but there is still a long way to go, and there will be struggles along the way.

They spent one of the lowest amounts in the division, paying out for just three of their transfers; Ebou Adams, Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and Kenzo Goudmijn, with all of them looking like very shrewd signings based off their starts to the season.

Clowes has also built a brilliant relationship with manager Paul Warne, who he brought to the club in September 2022 due to his prowess in League One.

His plan worked, and the former Rotherham United boss is repaying him with results in the second tier at home, and Rams fans will be hoping that the good times continue at DE24 in the next few months as the league table starts to take shape.