We asked AI to value Derby County as John Textor eyes Pride Park takeover | OneFootball

John Textor is being linked with a takeover at Pride Park, but how much does AI think the Rams are worth?

Derby County are currently in a much-needed period of calm regarding ownership right now, after the club almost went out of business in 2022.

David Clowes was the man to save the Rams three years ago. The lifelong Derby fan had seen the club in administration for 282 days, receive points deductions and an eventual relegation from the Championship.

Spending £55 million to get the club out of administration, Derby are now back in a stable position and are looking to climb back up towards the top six of the Championship. The club has ambitions, but not uncontrollable ones, and therefore, that makes them a marketable asset.

It was reported by Alan Nixon last weekend that John Textor has his eye on purchasing Derby alongside a host of other current Championship clubs, including the side currently in administration, Sheffield Wednesday, as he looks to add another English club to his Eagle Football Group banner, after he sold his shares in Crystal Palace in June.

A Championship club would be a cheaper option than Wolves, for instance, who Textor bid £400 million for last week, and with Derby looking up rather than down currently, he may be inclined to place a bid.

AI gives an estimated valuation of Derby County

Football League World has turned to popular AI-based chat service, ChatGPT, to give an estimation on how much Derby may be worth currently, if John Textor were to look to buy the club from David Clowes.

AI believes that there are plenty of positives and negatives surrounding Derby as a club, which would increase and decrease their value, respectively.

On the positive side, the club has a modern infrastructure, owning their own ground and attracting near-sell-out crowds regardless of opposition. This loyal fanbase helps put money into the club through concourse and merchandise purchases alongside ticket sales, and makes the club profitable for new owners.

However, given Clowes' support of the club in terms of wiping its debts to creditors, there are still some outstanding fees to pay back to the current owner. Last year, it was reported that the club's net liabilities, predominantly relating to "owner funding injections for the day-to-day running," stood at £33.6 million.

Taking all that into account, ChatGPT predicts that a "sensible ball-park figure" would be £30-£60 million net of debt.

John Textor will likely have cheaper options in his mind when it comes to surveying for Championship clubs, but this deal for an ambitious Rams side may not be the worst in the world.

Derby County fans can rest easy knowing David Clowes has their best interests at heart

The mood around Pride Park is currently positive, as Derby fans have an owner in charge who they know wants to see the club succeed, as Clowes is a lifelong Rams fan. Therefore, it's unlikely that, if a sale were to be made, it'd be to someone who doesn't share that desire to see the club move onwards and upwards.

In 2024, the Rams' owner spoke about potentially being open to selling the majority of his shares in the club to new investors to help Derby return to the Premier League, and if Textor can come in and invest with more money than the current owner can sustainably, Clowes may be willing to sell.

Whether Textor is the right man remains to be seen, but Derby fans have little to fear. If Clowes doesn't think that the American is the right man, then life will continue as it currently is.

But if the billionaire does complete a purchase of the Pride Park outfit, then it can be assumed that he will be willing to do what he can to get the club to the Premier League, which would be a huge cause for excitement amongst Derby fans.