off topic and posted on the MMT thread - apparently Derby County are in takeover talks with parties from Abu Dhabi - they hate Leeds too (if you believe the middle east stand-off is being played out as a proxy war in English football)
https://theathletic.com/news/derby-newc ... JQROiLw7Cn
Exclusive: Sheikh Khaled turns attention from Newcastle takeover to Derby
30 October 2020Updated 11:21 GMT
A senior member of the Abu Dhabi royal family who recently failed with high-profile bids for Liverpool and Newcastle United is interested in a Derby County takeover, Matt Slater can reveal.
Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan, 62, is the cousin of Manchester City's owner Sheikh Mansour and owns the Bin Zayed Group, a Dubai-based conglomerate.
Current owner Mel Morris bought Derby in 2015 but The Athletic understands he has been trying to sell at least a significant chunk of the club since last season.
When did Sheikh Khaled become interested in Derby?
Last month, Derventio Holdings (UK) Limited was registered at Companies House, the UK's registrar of companies, with three directors: Bin Zayed Group managing director Midhat Kamil Kidwai and two Swiss-based British entrepreneurs, Andrew Obolensky and Christopher Samuelson. Sheikh Khaled is listed as a "person with significant control".
Derventio was a Roman town that grew to become the modern city of Derby and representatives of the new company are understood to have attended Derby's recent home against Watford.
What experience do the group have?
Sheikh Khaled was unsuccessful with a bid for Liverpool in 2018 that was worth a reported £2 billion and an offer of £350 million for Newcastle in 2019.
Samuelson is no stranger to English football, having been involved in Russian businessman Anton Zingarevich's takeover of Reading in 2012 and the 2016 purchase of Aston Villa by a Chinese consortium led by Tony Xia.
The 74-year-old Englishman was also behind a failed investment in Everton in 2004 and an unsuccessful bid for Bristol Rovers in 2015.
What is the current situation?
Derby's current owner Morris bought the Championship side from Andy Appleby's American Partners group in 2015 but has been trying to sell at least a significant chunk of the club for at least a year, with Swiss financier Henry Gabay and Foster Gillett, the son of former Liverpool co-owner George Gillett, among those interested in the club.
Having spent six seasons in the Premier League around the turn of new millennium, Derby have only spent one season in the top flight since 2002 and this season is their 13th in a row in the Championship. According to the most recent edition of The Sunday Times Rich List, Morris is worth more than £500 million, largely thanks to his central involvement in the company behind the Candy Crush computer game, but even his wealth has its limits.
Derby have haemorrhaged money in recent seasons, spending large sums on transfer fees and wages but falling short in the play-offs four times in the last six years. Last year, Morris sold the club's Pride Park stadium to another company he owns for £81 million - a transaction that enabled Derby to avoid a breach of the English Football League's profitability and sustainability rules.
Neither the Bin Zayed Group nor Samuelson have responded to requests for comment.