Derby County: New update given over investor and stadium situation | OneFootball

It has been revealed that David Clowes is in talks with potential investors over a sale of 80% of the club.

Derby County owner, David Clowes, is looking to off-load 80% of the club to new investors after two years in charge of the Rams. However, this has brought on concerns surrounding the stadium.

It was revealed by The Telegraph's John Percy on Tuesday evening that Clowes is in talks with potential investors to help the team compete in the Championship in the coming years.

After buying the club out of administration for £55 million, the current Rams owner has made no secret about his desire to bring new funding on-board at some point in the future.

However, there is also a desire to stay on as chairman according to Percy, something that will delight supporters after the fantastic work that Clowes has done since taking over. The club has stabilised and is debt-free, making it an extremely enticing offer for any potential investor.

Club and stadium will remain together

Following the saga that followed Derby throughout their administration in 2021/22, there are still worries about the stadium, as in the past it has been sold on to another company outside the club.

The previous owner, Mel Morris, worked a deal to sell Pride Park from the club itself to him in April 2019 for £80 million.

It helped the Rams report a pre-tax profit of £14.6 million for the 2017/18 season, but they were later ordered to restate their accounts for the years ending 2016, 2017 and 2018 due to their way of measuring player values.

Despite the shortcomings that came with that announcement, it also meant that the stadium was still in the hands of Mel Morris after administration, and Clowes had to work a deal to bring Pride Park back to the club, which he managed to do.

But there have been fears from supporters over the potential investors and who will own the stadium afterwards.

BBC Radio Derby's Dominic Dietrich eased any worries on his X account: "Following up on a question I had last night. I understand the stadium and club WILL stay in the same group regardless of investment coming in and won't be split up. I know the club are working in line with the government white paper to protect this. #DCFC"

While Clowes has managed to bring the club back to life in just two years, to take Derby to the next level, funding is needed.

The Rams spent just £2.5 million in the summer transfer window, with Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, Kenzo Goudmijn and Ebou Adams all combining for that figure, while Corey Blackett-Taylor was brought in on loan in January 2024 for £300,000 before signing permanently at the end of the season.

Under Paul Warne, they have made a good start in the Championship after two seasons in League One, but there is a clear financial difference between themselves and some of their rivals in the division.

Clowes will keep hold of 20% of the club, which is another positive for Rams fans, who instantly grew to love their saviour. It can also be said that it alleviates any concerns that could be had surrounding a new chairperson, after a number of years of relative calm by Derby's standards.