Even after the takeover was authorised by the Independent Football Regulator and the EFL, Turki Alalshikh abruptly withdrew from an agreement to purchase Derby County.

The Saudi businessman had several conversations with Rams owner David Clowes during the summer, so it’s no secret that he was eager to buy the team.

Fans have been anxiously watching developments in the hopes that the agreement would be finished because, of course, it’s not an easy process.

Derby County confirms that the takeover by Turki Alalshikh is not happening.

As a result, the club’s announcement on Monday night that a deal would not be made was shocking.

Derby clarified in the update that although the takeover had been authorised by the required parties, talks with Lion Sport, the business Alalshikh supported, had ended.

Alalshikh, meanwhile, shared his version of events on social media, claiming that the “process” had left them with insufficient time to make the team adjustments he would have preferred.

Even though he didn’t rule out making another bid for Derby in the future, he felt compelled to back out of the agreement because he said he would “remain in conversation” with the club.

Derby County was informed that the failure of Turki Alalshikh’s takeover should make them happy.

Many Derby supporters had been fantasising about the advancements the team could have made if the takeover had been successful, given the Saudi businessman’s fortune.

However, when asked by FLW what he thot of Alalshikh’s last-minute change of heart, Derby fan pundit Shaun Woodward said he was actually relieved it hadn’t happened because he questioned the boxing promoter’s commitment, even though he acknowledged it might have affected their summer transfer plans.

“With this one, where do I begin? Like most Derby supporters, I was taken aback by the news and found it hard to believe what I was reading. It was unexpected and a bombshell, especially since the season is about to begin.

“After sleeping on it and reading what Alalshikh had to say about requiring more time to make the team competitive and staying in contact with the club, I really think we have avoided a bullet here. I genuinely felt this would happen.

“I believe that when things got hard, he was going to discard us and use Derby as a flashy toy. Therefore, I would prefer that folks remain away. We want stability at the club since we’ve experienced difficult times.

“It may take longer to reach our goals, but I have great faith in Clowes, and I would rather that we proceed cautiously and sustainably. If this means that Clowes continues to lead for a few more years, then so be it.

“Having significant funds at the club would have been wonderful, but based on what Alashikh said, he wasn’t the ideal person.

“The only thing that worries or frustrates me is that it seems like we’ve waited for this deal to go through before making certain additions. Now, we need to focus on the upcoming season. We are severely short players in certain parts of the field, as was clear against Lincoln on Saturday, so I hope there was a backup plan in place.

“David Ozoh would be the perfect central midfielder to complement Lewis Travis. Carlton Morris needs help up top because he doesn’t appear to be the same player we saw before his injury, and we need wide men.

“I fully support John Eustace, and Clowes is the man to carry us forward, even if it takes us longer to get where we want to be. If we get players through the door to support the first XI, I’m confident we can have another good season.”

“So, looking back, I’m glad Alalshikh didn’t buy the club.”

In the last few weeks of the transfer window, Derby County needs to support John Eustace.
Given that the team appears to be lacking in some areas, the majority of supporters would concur that the transfer window is now the main source of concern.

The Derby County Championship record of John Eustace (Source: Transfermarkt)

Games

Sixty

Won 26 Drawn 12 Lost

22

Goal Difference +9

Points: 90

It makes sense for a number of reasons why the club could have postponed such acquisitions when the takeover was anticipated.

However, they now need to move quickly because Eustace is a good manager at this level and Derby will think they can get promoted to the Premier League with the new play-off format.

Thus, the last few weeks of the transfer window might be really hectic. It will be fascinating to see what kind of business Derby can complete and how the starting lineup looks after the deadline.