Where Derby County's owner David Clowes ranks among the richest EFL Championship owners | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at how the Derby owner's wealth ranks among the richest in the second-tier

While former British Midland pilot David Clowes saved Derby County from going bust in 2022, his wealth pales in comparison to some of those who own other clubs in the Championship.

Clowes, in his own words, told BBC Radio Derby that the Rams were a week away from no longer existing at the time he bought both the club and the Stadium.

Before the 25/26 season started, the 56-year-old penned a message to supporters which was published on the club's website. In his concluding paragraph some might suggest that he hinted at a possible sale.

"When it's time to hand over the reins to the next steward of the club, I want above everything else to be able to say we left Derby County in a better place than where we found it," Clowes wrote.

With this in mind, FLW takes a look at how the Derby owner's wealth ranks among the richest in the second-tier.

How David Clowes managed to afford Derby County

Clowes built up his wealth through the family construction and property development company, Clowes developments.

After training as a pilot and flying commercially until 2012, he took over as Group Chairman of the business following the death of his father in 2015.

As per The Sunday Times Rich List for 2025, Clowes and his family rank 326th nationally with a net worth of £380m.

The businessman spent around £55m to take Derby out of administration, paying £33m to purchase the club and £19.7m to creditors, according to the BBC.

Compared to the richest in the league

Queens Park Rangers' ownership trio of Amit Bhatia, Ruben Gnanalingam and Richard Reilly have a combined fortune of over £12b, with Bhatia ranked among the top 10 richest people in the UK in 2017.

Stoke City's John Coates, pictured with his father Peter, controls the second-largest fortune among Championship owners. The Coates family's money comes from gambling site Bet365 - and their net worth is around £9b.

Clowes' £380m net worth places Derby in the bottom half of Championship owners in terms of wealth, and it is a modest amount when comparing it to the billionaires.

It's worth noting though, that his net worth has increased in the last year by £20m, as The Sunday Times Rich List for 2024 had the Clowes family ranked 348th with £360m.

Derby surprised many this summer window

Upon returning to the Championship under Paul Warne, Clowes mentioned in an interview that Derby would have "a good Championship budget" to spend in the 2024 summer window.

The club only spent fees on five of the 19 players they ended up signing throughout the season, according to Transfermarkt. Manager John Eustace brought three free agents to the club after he arrived in February (Kemar Roofe, Erik Pieters, Jeff Hendrick).

Which is why many around the division were probably surprised when Derby announced the £5.8m signing of American striker Patrick Agyemang, who is the most-expensive player of the Clowes era.

Derby have also reportedly submitted a bid to sign Japanese winger Koki Saito, who is valued at £5m - and have had bids rejected for Lewis Travis (as of 15th August), with Blackburn Rovers holding out for £2.5m, as per The Times.

This suggests that Clowes could either genuinely be backing Eustace with his own funds, or there is actually external investment giving a helping hand - because he's made it no secret in the past that he is searching for it.

It remains to be seen when - and if - the East Midlands outfit will get new investment, but you'd perhaps think it shouldn't take too long given Clowes is very much in the middle-ground financially when compared to others in the second-tier.