Wayne Rooney said Derby have taken a significant step towards a takeover after the troubled Championship club reached an “accord” with Middlesbrough over a compensation claim that threatened to undermine their attempts to secure their long-term future.
The agreement between Derby’s former chairman Mel Morris, who owns the stadium, and the Middlesbrough owner, Steve Gibson, comes on the eve of a potentially fractious meeting between the teams at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday. Last week Morris invited Boro and Wycombe, who are also seeking recompense, to take their claims to the high court against him personally.
“The fact that a resolution has been discussed and agreed should be comforting to both sets of supporters,” read a Derby statement on Friday. “It is important for all interested parties, including potential bidders, to be confident that the Middlesbrough claim will not be an impediment to Derby County progressing its plans for a sale of the club.”
Gibson had been seeking compensation of about £40m, after arguing Derby’s breach of financial rules prevented them from reaching the 2018-19 play-offs. Boro finished seventh, a point behind Derby, who lost in the play-off final. Wycombe want at least £6m after they were relegated by a point at Derby’s expense last season.
The Wycombe owner, Rob Couhig, is understood to be arriving in London from New Orleans on Saturday for an unscheduled visit, with meetings planned. Last month Couhig accused the administrator, Quantuma, of painting Wycombe and Boro as “the bad guys” and maintained he was willing to discuss a “reasonable compromise”. A partner at Quantuma, Carl Jackson, said the resolution with Boro “allows us to push forward with our plans for the sale of the club”.
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Derby have been in administration since September and are fighting relegationafter a total 21-point deduction. The protracted legal battle – Boro launched their claim against Derby more than 12 months ago – had been a major hurdle in any potential takeover. “I don’t know the timeframe on when the preferred bidder is going to come but now hopefully that brings them back to the table and speeds things up,” Rooney said. “I’ve been pushing and pushing about getting new owners in and this is a big step.”
An EFL spokesperson said they welcomed the “positive development”, adding: “The league will continue to work with all relevant parties on finding appropriate solutions that will secure a long-term future for Derby.”
