Jack Bryan is a football writer and life long Derby County supporter.
At 17:52 on Friday evening, Derby County fans finally got the news we had been so desperate for, and that many, myself included, had at points doubted they’d ever hear. ‘Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd has completed a deal to acquire Derby County Football Club. Lifelong supporter David Clowes, who owns the Derbyshire-based property group, is our new owner.’ In other words, the club is saved.
This news was met with tears and cheers of joy and relief, as 282 days of administration agony, and a long period of uncertainty before that, came to an end; not only for fans, but also players, and other staff, for whom the club is their livelihood. No more endlessly refreshing Twitter. No more clinging on to any report that offered even the slightest glimmer of hope. No more worrying whether the Rams’ next game would be their last. And no more seeing social media content posted in poor taste, being polite, by prospective buyers.
After an emotional period which included the march to Pride Park prior to the Birmingham game, #savederbycounty profile pictures and banners, and false dawns, we can now move forward and look to the future.
Clowes penned an open letter to supporters which was released upon the announcement of completion of the takeover. Part of it read: “I won’t be making any extravagant promises, however I can confirm my intentions. My focus now is to stabilise the football club in every department and to make sure we have the foundations in place for success, however long that takes.”
This indicates that Clowes wants to run the club in a sustainable fashion, which is imperative as it looks to rebuild. Fortunately, Derby will start the League One season on zero points, with Clowes’ offer enough to satisfy creditors and avoid any further points deductions. And, as per the EFL’s statement last night, ‘the Club, whilst remaining under a registration embargo, will be permitted to sign new players in accordance with the terms of a business plan.’
The statement continued: ‘The plan, which has been jointly agreed by the new ownership and the EFL, includes restrictions in respect of transfers fees, player wages and agents’ fees. Any application to register players must comply with the terms of those agreed plans.’ This is normal for clubs exiting administration, and ensures that we don’t spend beyond our means, but that is not to say we can’t put together a strong squad and have a good season. Even without Wayne Rooney, Derby County possesses massive pulling power, as we saw on Saturday night. How many League One teams play in front of more than 20,000 fans every week?
As was a necessity with just five players under contract to start the season (or perhaps seven if some reports are true) other players have been signed, or re-signed. In addition to Max Bird, Louie Sibley, Jason Knight, Krystian Bielik, and Jack Stretton, and perhaps Nathan Byrne and Lee Buchanan, youngsters Eiran Cashin and Liam Thompson, have both agreed new two-year deals with the club. Derby’s number 41 and 42, are players I wrote that I would prioritise after impressive performances last season in the original version of this piece, which was about to go out before the flurry of announcements that began with Tom Barkhuizen. The former Preston winger, our first signing of the summer, has agreed a deal until 2024. Also confirmed on Saturday night, were the arrivals of goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith and winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who both most recently played for Sheffield Wednesday. Mendez-Laing was linked with a move to Derby in January 2021, and you can find the lowdown on him here.
A mixture of youth and experience will be crucial in the playing squad, as it was last season. To maintain this on the pitch, I would prioritise the re-signing of last season’s fans’ Player of The Year, the ever present Curtis Davies, the club’s longest serving player in Craig Forsyth, as well as Colin Kazim-Richards and Richard Stearman. I would also offer a contract to captain Tom Lawrence, despite the photo he posted in which it appears he had been playing golf with Chris Kirchner, but I would suspect that his wage would be drastically reduced in comparison to his previous contract. That’s almost the entirety of what’s left of last season’s senior squad, so frankly, I think the club should offer deals to any players who have stuck around, and returned for pre-season training this week, despite their contracts expiring.
In terms of departures, we know Festy Ebosele and Malcolm Ebiowei have gone to Udinese and Crystal Palace respectively, then on Friday, we found out that Ravel Morrison has left the club, and Louie Watson has signed for Luton on a free transfer.
Both goalkeepers who featured last season have also left Derby, so we will need reinforcements in net, despite Joe Wildsmith’s arrival. Even if youngsters such as Harrison Foulkes and Alfie Roberts are to get a chance, I suspect another goalkeeper will be brought to Pride Park. Former Aston Villa men Conor Hourihane, James Chester are rumoured to be joining the club too. How nice is it to be thinking about the footballing side of the club again?
To end on another very exciting note, the club should continue producing some top quality young players for years to come, Clowes stating a commitment to maintaining a Category One academy. Who knows, we might even be able to get decent money for them going forward, as opposed to selling them for a fraction of their value, or receiving measly compensation fees when they leave on free transfers. And the future isn’t just exciting for the men’s team, but for also for Derby County Women and the Community Trust. Clowes ‘believe[s] in the future of Derby County at every level’ and finishes the letter by stating that “Alongside my team, I will be doing everything in my power to make Derby County safe, secure, and successful for many generations to come.”. After the tough last couple of years, the club seems to now have a great, committed custodian, who recognises that words are cheap, and that he and his team will ‘be judged by [their] actions.’