Derby County’s administrators tell Wayne Rooney they WON’T sack him to save his wages – but are now hunting for new investment to pay the club’s players and staff
- Derby County entered administration this week amid serious financial issues
- Club was automatically deducted 12 points to sink to bottom of Championship
- Club’s administrators are confident new owners for the club can be found soon
- Manager Wayne Rooney’s job is save despite the need to cut costs
- There is confident that Derby will be able to fulfil all of this season’s fixtures
Derby County’s administrators insist Wayne Rooney’s job is not under threat as they look to cut costs and there is already genuine interest in buying the stricken Championship club.
The Rams officially entered administration earlier this week, triggering an automatic 12-point deduction that sunk them to the bottom of the table.
Owner Mel Morris said the club lost £20million in lost revenue as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the administrators confirmed Derby’s debts run into ‘the tens of millions of pounds’ without disclosing the exact figure.
Derby County’s administrators say manager Wayne Rooney’s job is not immediately in danger as they look to cut costs at the Championship club
Derby celebrate last weekend’s win over Stoke before the club went into administration
However, manager Rooney will not be removed as a short-term cash-saving measure, with ‘positive conversations’ already held with the former England captain over taking the club forward.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Andrew Hosking and Carl Jackson from business advisory firm Quantuma, said they have every confidence Derby will fulfil all their fixtures this season.
However, they did not completely rule out a round of player sales in the January window to raise cash if a new owner can’t be found in the next three months.
On the prospect of jettisoning Rooney, Hosking said: ‘That has not come into our considerations at all, we need a manager to motivate the team.’
Jackson added: ‘We have held very positive conversations with Wayne and one or two other members of the squad.’
They confirmed short-term borrowing will be necessary to cover Derby’s day-to-day costs in the coming months and staff redundancies look likely.
Although Derby, who face the prospect of further points deductions, are highly likely to be in League One next season, there has been immediate interest in buying them,
‘There is a considerable level of interest and it will be our job to assess and sift through,’ said Hosking.
‘A considerable quantity of high net worth individuals who previously had discussions may rekindle their interest.’
The Rams play their first Championship match since entering administration when they head to Sheffield United on Saturday.
More to follow.