What David Clowes said about Derby County’s future - he has hinted at a sale | OneFootball

David Clowes took over Derby County in the summer of 2022.

Derby County owner David Clowes has hinted at a future takeover with the new Championship season underway.

The businessman took over at Pride Park in the summer of 2022 after the club suffered relegation from the Championship amid financial difficulties.

He has steadied the ship, and overseen promotion out of League One, with John Eustace now looking to build on last year’s 19th-place finish in the second division.

The Rams lost their opening game of the campaign, with stoppage-time goals from Divin Mubama and Sorba Thomas sealing a 3-1 victory for Stoke City on Saturday afternoon.

David Clowes hints at Derby County ownership future

Clowes has hinted that his plans don’t involve staying as owner of Derby forever, claiming nobody knows what the future holds.

However, he has made it clear that his intention is to leave the Rams in a better place than where they were when he took over three years ago.

“In everything we do, we always have in mind the values that make this club so special for thousands and thousands of people,” wrote Clowes, via the club’s official website on the eve of the 25/26 season.

“I’ve been there in the stands with you, on the trains and up and down the motorways every week.

“I desperately never want to let you down.

“Nobody knows exactly what the future holds, but one thing is for sure, none of us will be here forever.

“But 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.”

David Clowes has turned the ship around at Derby

If Clowes sold Derby today, then the club would undoubtedly be in a better position than when he took over in 2022, ending the nine-month period that the club were in administration for.

He has steadied the ship, provided a loan that enabled the club to ensure they could start the 22/23 season, and has undeniably brought some much-needed stability while also bringing them back to Championship level.

Supporters will be happy with the work he’s done so far in his tenure at Pride Park, although there are questions over his capability of bringing them much further forward than they currently are.

While his ambition will be to keep driving the Rams forward, it will be difficult to compete financially with some of the bigger clubs in the division, which is why he may have his eyes on bringing in fresh investment from elsewhere.

Derby County’s summer business

Derby have had a busy summer of transfer activity after confirming their status in the Championship at the end of the previous campaign.

The Rams have added a number of fresh attacking options, including big-money signing Patrick Agyemang.

New addition Carlton Morris led the line last weekend, with Danny Batth also making his competitive debut in Eustace’s side.

Andreas Weimann, David Ozoh and Dion Sanderson also featured for the first time, with the trio coming off the bench in the second half, while loanee Bobby Clark was an unused substitute.