David Clowes backed to seal 'right' Derby County, Turki Alalshikh takeover | OneFootball

The Rams have been the subject of strong takeover discourse in recent weeks

Derby County and their supporters have certainly enjoyed a recent spell of relative success in both League One and the Championship, just years after the club were saved by the investment of local entrepreneur, David Clowes.

The Rams are one of the most decorated clubs in the Championship, but have failed to return to the Premier League since their infamous relegation in the season of 2007/08, during which they accumulated English football's all-time low of 11 points from 38 games.

They had, of course, got close to ending such an exile on three occasions in the 2010s, but were stopped in their tracks by Queens Park Rangers, Hull City and Aston Villa, with the latter of those eventually proving costly regarding Mel Morris' prior ownership of the club, as after surviving the drop to League One in 2020/21, Derby were docked a total of 21 points the following campaign and were relegated to the third tier after entering administration, despite an extremely valiant effort from a young squad on the pitch.

Clowes then rescued his boyhood club from the brink of potential extinction after a drawn-out takeover saga, with it being reported that the initial sale of the club cost just £18m.

Since then, the East Midlands outfit have been promoted back to the Championship and made rapid strides of progress under John Eustace, who was appointed as head coach in February 2025 following Paul Warne's dismissal.

After surviving on the final day of 2024/25, Derby narrowly missed out on the play-off spots this season to eventual winners, Hull, but have invested smartly into the squad at the 46-year-old's disposal.

However, on the subject of investment, positivity levels at Pride Park could further increase if Saudi boxing mogul, Turki Alalshikh was to complete a reported takeover.

Derby County backed to seal Turki Alalshikh investment - David Clowes' strategy could be key

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In recent months, it has been widely reported that Clowes, 57, is open to selling his majority stake in the Rams in order to help elevate the club to the next level.

The club certainly enjoyed success on the transfer front last season, and that included £7.3m buy and USMNT international striker, Patrick Agyemang, while a further £6m is expected to be parted with to lure Bobby Clark back to Pride Park on a permanent basis from RB Salzburg.

However, the business manager revealed that any new bidders would have to meet specific criteria, and now the takeover process will also have to go through the approval of the new Independent Football Regulator.

Alalshikh himself had previously been linked with a takeover at both Bristol City and Millwall, but despite not pressing forward with such moves, Football League World's Derby County fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, is confident Derby will receive the backing of the 44-year-old, who has a reported net worth of over £2bn.

"My gut feeling is that the takeover will happen. I just think it will take time," said Woodward.

"These things tend to happen privately, and then we find out on the day when it happens.

"I'm not overly worried that it's taking some time. I'd rather David Clowes do things properly and have no stones unturned, so if the deal happens, it's right for all parties," he claimed.

"I'm still confident it'll be done. But if it doesn't, then it wasn't meant to be, and it wasn't right for Derby. I don't think David Clowes isn't going to do anything that isn't right for the club long-term.

"I'm comfortable either way, but I do think it'll happen," Woodward reaffirmed.

Turki Alalshikh takeover could unlock promotion key for Derby County

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With Derby finishing in eighth in 2025/26, an exact same finish would see them into the play-offs next season due to the expansion of the Championship play-offs.

However, investment from Alalshikh, on top of what the club have been able to build in recent times, would only add to the belief that they can challenge for promotion on a sustained basis, and potentially return to the Premier League.

If such feats were to occur, then another decision from Clowes would no doubt be lauded, with, as Woodward alluded to, his previous track record speaking volumes with the number that have gone on to be vindicated.