Why Turki Al-Sheikh would want to seal Derby County takeover | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at why the Saudi billionaire might actually want to invest in the Rams

FLW takes a look at why Turki Al-Sheikh would want to seal a Derby County takeover.

It remains firmly speculation for now, but the Rams have been at the centre of fresh takeover talk after the Saudi billionaire was found to have followed a host of club-related accounts on social media.

Said accounts include the official Derby County profile, the Supporters' Club, the women's team and several unofficial news pages.

With the 44-year-old having previously been linked with the likes of Southampton, Millwall and Bristol City before those conversations came to nothing, Derby fans will, of course, be wary of getting carried away.

Yet there are plenty of reasons why Al-Sheikh might actually find the Rams an attractive proposition.

1 ? ? Derby County have one of the best attendances in the EFL

It is not for nothing that Derby County are sometimes referred to as ‘Attendance FC’ by rival fans. After all, Pride Park's current capacity of 33,597 makes it the 16th-largest football stadium in England.

As per transfermarkt, the East Midlands outfit averaged 28,563 supporters per game at Pride Park during this past Championship season, making them the third-best-supported club in the entire division.

As chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, Al-Sheikh has poured millions into the hosting of high-profile sporting events, so he’d definitely understand the importance of having a good backing week-in, week-out.

Plans to extend Derby's ground were first mooted back in 2017, with ambitious visions for a development that would have taken the capacity to around 44,000.

When and if the right moment comes, these plans could be dusted off and brought back to the table.

2 ? ? John Eustace is building something worth investing in at Derby County

Appointed in February 2025, Eustace guided the Rams to safety on the final day of the 24/25 season before steering them into play-off contention this past campaign, finishing eighth in the league.

More importantly, though, Eustace has consistently spoken about the long-term vision at the club.

In an interview with the BBC back in February, he outlined the kind of team he is working to build, which he compared to the squad he played with at Derby as a player. He said, "When we lost in the play-offs [in 2014] and the season after, I thought we were a top-performing team.

"We could mix it up, we could play football, we were exciting on the transitions, we could build, we could be a possession-based team as well. We had great wingers, who were exciting, so that's something that I'd like this team to eventually be like.

"But if you don't win, you don't get that time to do it. So it's important that we just find a way to keep progressing at the football club."

Al-Sheikh would be wise to trust the ex-Birmingham City boss with the football side of things, and be patient, rather than interfering.

When he owned UD Almeria in Spain, the Saudi went through five managers in his first two seasons.

3 ? ? Turki Al-Sheikh would offer Derby County serious commercial potential

Ultimately, Al‑Sheikh’s reputation within the sports and entertainment industry could give Derby County huge commercial potential.

Without knowing what his plans have been for potentially taking over a Championship club, Riyadh Season shows what the Saudi is capable of, which is one of the most-talked about sporting events in the world.

And, because of David Clowes’ ownership, any potential new investor would be stepping into a far healthier environment to build things like this from. With all this in mind, Derby are perhaps one of the most exciting ownership propositions in the EFL, even if there's nothing in the above social media hint.