Derby County is facing the possibility of being kicked out of the English Football League as their administration issues continue.
Wayne Rooney’s Derby County are in a financial rut and the club’s administrators, Quantuma, are at their wit’s end. The search for new investors or a new owner is proving difficult, leading the EFL to believe that the club is not planning on coming out of administration soon.
Reports now claim that the EFL are threatening to kick Derby County out of the league if they do not show they have money to end the season.
There have also been heated exchanges between the EFL chiefs and Derby’s administrators, and the latest one led to the league chiefs ordering the club to present proof of funds on or before midday of February 1.
The ultimatum means Derby’s administrators have to find a bidder willing to put in funds to cover the season or sell some of their few remaining players to be able to raise funds.
Failure to do this could result in the club being kicked out and their results being removed from the table to make it look like they never participated in the current EFL season.
Middlesbrough and Wycombe Wanderers claims part of Derby County’s problems with the EFL
It has also been reported that the latest heated exchange which led to the ultimatum being issued to Quantuma by the EFL chiefs, was due to the club’s inability to handle the claims of Middlesbrough and Wycombe.
Derby County could be bought by either of Mike Ashley, Andy Appleby’s consortium, and a mystery third party. However, the claims from Boro and Wycombe are off limits for the three new potential owners leaving Quantuma with their biggest headache.
Derby’s administrators released a statement to this effect: “The Joint Administrators have an exit plan ready to implement and be approved by creditors and this is with a view to adjusting offers received to accommodate the EFL insolvency policy and their requirements to creditors.
“The difficulty and currently, in our view, the last remaining significant obstacle is to deal with certain claims that are very much disputed but which we are being advised by the EFL cannot be currently compromised.
“Whilst we accept this is frustrating for all, none of the interested parties are able to progress matters further until such time that an agreement can be reached.
“The EFL have demanded that we prove adequate funding is in place and until as such time as we are able to do that, they will not progress player registrations.
“This includes some players where contracts needed to be extended this month. Whilst we have a number of options as to how that funding can be delivered, we are not in a position to finalise this funding.
“However we do believe this will be finalised in the coming weeks. We are urgently seeking clarification from the EFL as to why these disputed claims cannot be compromised.”
Derby County players asked to indicate if they would like to be sold to raise funds for the club
Derby, who have already been hit with a transfer embargo by the EFL, have asked the members of the squad to speak up if any of them wants to leave this January, so they can sell and secure the find which the EFL demands
Sportsmail also reports that Mike Ashley, former Newcastle United owner, is growing increasingly frustrated with how Quantuma has handled the issues surrounding the club and could withdraw his interest in buying the club.
Manager Wayne Rooney and officials from Quantuma visited the team in training to let them know of this decision. They are currently reviewing offers and will sell a few players this month.
