Stefan Borson erupts at 'inexplicable' Derby County takeover collapse
Derby County have been left in an "inexplicable" position following the collapse of Turki Alalshikh's takeover at Pride Park.
That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that the situation has been extremely "disruptive" for the Rams.
The Saudi boxing mogul appeared set to complete a takeover from David Clowes, with supporters of the Championship club, understandably, excited, to say the least.
Despite the deal being accepted by the Independent Football Regulator (IFR), it has fully collapsed just days before the 2026-27 campaign kicking off.
John Eustace's side kick off their season away against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, 15 August, with the hierarchy, manager and players trying to put the situation behind them.
There is still plenty of time for transfers to be done before the window slams shut, with several players, including Bobby Clark and Sammie Szmodics arriving this summer.
Derby County's takeover collapse 'so disruptive'
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson is not afraid of Clowes leading the Rams into the new season, but did vent his frustrations about the takeover collapse.
"They've got a good owner, so they'll be okay, but it's so disruptive to an organisation to go through that process for the amount of time," he said.
"Everybody's starting to get ready for a new ownership. You've got decisions being paused, consulting with the new ownership team.
"You've got all the distraction of the process that they have with the IFR. They finally get through it, and the guy pulls the plug.
"There's nothing good that comes out of it at all. It got cleared by the IFR so they can't even blame the IFR. The idea that it's about the delay from the IFR or the timing, I don't believe that.
"I feel for Derby County. And it's pretty inexplicable that somebody could spend all that time and effort pursuing a club, going through the IFR, getting IFR approval and then say, 'Actually, I don't want it'."
What are Derby's chances of winning promotion?
With Eustace in charge, supporters will believe that the impossible is possible, having led the Rams to eighth in the Championship last term.
Currently, one major bookmaker has Derby priced at 8/1 to win promotion, with the likes of Norwich City, Wrexham and Millwall ahead of them.
To finish in the top eight, Eustace's side are priced at 9/4, and the music to fans' ears will be that when it comes to relegation, they're priced at 8/1.
While it may not be seen as overly positive that Derby are just as likely to be promoted as they are to be relegated, the supporters are prepared for a successful campaign despite the takeover collapse.