With the click of a button, a social media post on X, external dashed the hopes and dreams of many Derby County supporters, who would have woken up on Monday morning desperately checking their phones for news of a takeover at Pride Park Stadium.
Instead, there is disbelief among all of us who have followed this story throughout the summer. The promise of riches for the recruitment team at Moor Farm had the city on tenterhooks, hoping the powers that be could get the deal over the line.
The EFL and the Independent Football Regulator [IFR] had already given the deal with Turki Alalshikh’s Lion Sport the green light, so what could go wrong? It was a sure thing, wasn’t it?
No. Alalshikh’s statement, claiming there was “not enough time” to get the club in shape ahead of the new season, raised more questions than it answered. The Saudi billionaire, who has made his name successfully in boxing, clearly needs to elaborate on his reasoning, because it does not stack up.
Head coach John Eustace needs transfer funds. The dead wood in the squad has been shipped out to accommodate new arrivals. Three weeks from today, the transfer window closes after the Rams’ trip to Portsmouth on 1 September.
Anyone with a knowledge of football understands the ferocity of the deals completed in the final week, days and hours of a transfer window. “Here you go, John, here’s £20m,” said nobody ever, but in essence it is as simple as that.
The club is debt-free. It has restaffed since administration and is being run properly under the guidance of local hero David Clowes. So, what isn’t attractive about that? There are no giant bills to pay as part of the deal. Clowes Developments gets its money back and off you go.
Derby County is not a plaything. It is the beating heart of a hard-working community, allowing people to switch their focus for 90 minutes from the daily grind and the difficulties of life in 2026.
As we saw during the difficult administration period, the Rams will rally, the club will galvanise and life will continue as normal. Eustace will get blood from a stone and supporters will cheer his name.
You don’t miss what you never had.