In the previous season, Derby County just missed out on making the playoffs.

Hull City, in sixth place, went on to gain promotion to the Premier League, while John Eustace’s team finished eighth in the Championship standings, four points below the top six.

With two more clubs added to the play-offs in 2026–2027, the Rams will be eager to finish in the top eight once more.

Bobby Clark, who spent the previous season on loan at Pride Park, joined the Derbyshire team permanently during the summer transfer window, making a huge splash.

However, behind closed doors, Derby has also been connected to a potential takeover headed by Turki Alashikh of Saudi Arabia.

Here, we examine if the 44-year-old will actually take over the Championship team.

Derby County’s appeal to Turki Alalshikh

Earlier this summer, it was rumoured that the club had spoken with the Supporters’ Board about possible investment in the Championship.

The Telegraph first reported in late May that the boxing promoter and Derby had had in-depth discussions.

The Saudi Arabian, who is thinking about investing in English football, was listed as one of the interested parties.

According to reports, the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is aware of his interest in the Rams, suggesting that he is serious about becoming a minority stakeholder or possibly taking over at Pride Park.

But since this originally surfaced at the beginning of June, there has been no development on any potential agreement with the present owner, David Clowes.

Alalshikh had previously been connected to possibly acquiring teams like Bristol City, but nothing has materialised.

Talk about Turki Alalshikh has stopped at Derby County.

Nearly two months have passed since Alalshikh was initially connected to Derby’s potential acquisition, and the past few weeks have been fairly quiet.

It’s possible that talks are still going on behind the scenes, but if that were the case, some information would probably come to light.

Derby is moving forward as if Clowes is still in charge for the time being, even though it’s too early to declare that any takeover is currently off the table.

The current owner is thought to want to continue serving as chairman, which implies that he would also keep ownership of the club.

The 44-year-old disclosed his health problems last month, which may affect any potential acquisition of the Championship team.

Alalshikh acknowledged that he has been fighting cancer since 2015 and that he has a brain tumour.

Although he has established himself in the boxing community, it is evident that he is also interested in playing football.

But given his ongoing health problems, it is unclear if he would pursue that desire any further at this point.

Clowes is still in charge of Derby for the time being. The Rams’ season begins on August 15 with a trip to Charlton Athletic.