What David Clowes has said about a future Derby County takeover amid Turki Al-Sheikh talk | OneFootball

The Rams owner has never hidden his openness to outside investment at the Championship club

Derby County owner David Clowes has never hidden his openness to outside investment at the Championship club.

So, naturally, with Saudi sports figure Turki Al-Sheikh the latest name to be talked about with the Rams, Clowes’ previously stated position on a potential takeover comes back into play.

For now, the Al-Sheikh link amounts to little more than social media rumours, but it has got some Derby fans intrigued.

What is not speculation, though, is the fact that Clowes has made no secret of his desire to bring in the right kind of investment to help the East Midlands outfit reach the Premier League.

What David Clowes has said about a potential Derby County takeover

At the Derby County Supporters' Board meeting in December 2025, Clowes confirmed that his preference would be to find new majority investment, but stressed that his sole motivation is to do what is best for the football club.

He made clear he is open to all potential offers, so long as his criteria are met, but again that the final decision would always be made based on the best interests of the Rams.

On the type of investor he would consider, Clowes said that any new backers would have to value "integrity, progress and stability".

He then added, "Any new investor would need to have the financial ability to accelerate the club's progress towards its Premier League ambition."

Those comments at the Supporters' Board meeting came at a time when a number of names had been circling.

Alongside failed Sheffield United figure James Bord - who later pulled out of a detail to buy Sheffield Wednesday - Mike Ashley and John Textor were both reportedly interested in Derby as well.

How long David Clowes has wanted investment for at Derby County

In truth, the aforementioned meeting was not the first time Clowes had spoken publicly about his openness to new investment.

As far back as September 2024, the former Pilot told BBC Radio Derby that he was receptive to introducing new shareholders to help the club get back to the top-flight.

Said interview came after it was reported by The Daily Telegraph in the same month that Clowes was contemplating selling more than 80% of his stake should the right offer come about.

Yet BBC Radio Derby confirmed that no immediate deal was going to happen then, though a source close to the club acknowledged that "multiple interested parties" had been exploring opportunities.

Fast-forward to May 2025, it emerged that Clowes had enlisted the help of Jonathan Price - the man who helped broker his own original takeover of the club in 2022 - to lead the search for potential investors, with Price revealed to be "having conversations" with interested parties.

It is worth stressing once more that the only basis for linking Al-Sheikh with Derby at this stage is that he was found to have followed a number of club-related accounts on X.

However, it will be interesting to get an official report on the situation to confirm or deny these rumours of investment.