Derby County and Nottingham Forest are both enjoying relative success at this moment in time, with the two East Midlands clubs having good starts to the new season.
Few would have predicted the Reds to have been early challengers for a European place after narrowly avoiding relegation in their first two seasons in the Premier League after promotion in the 2021/22 campaign.
While their supporters are enjoying top flight football once again, Rams fans have embraced their return to the Championship after a two-year hiatus following relegation to League One in the same season that their bitter rivals won the play-offs.
However, both clubs do seem to be comfortable financially currently, and although Derby are seeking new investors, they are very much a stable side.
Here, Football League World has taken a look at how the two rivals’ owners, David Clowes and Evangelos Marinakis, made their millions.
David Clowes’ funds have come through his family’s business
While not much was known about David Clowes when he bought Derby in the summer of 2022, just weeks before the club was set to be liquidated, now he is known as a hero and saviour around the black-and-white side of the East Midlands.
The 55-year-old spent £55m to take the Rams out of administration, and while they have not spent a lot since, they are in a very good place financially. It was reported in September 2024 that he was looking for new investors to take on 80% of the club to help increase their spending power, something that will only be a positive.
| Derby County Transfer Money Spent since David Clowes’ Takeover | |
|---|---|
| Corey Blackett-Taylor (January 2024) | £300,000 |
| Ebou Adams | £500,000 |
| Kenzo Goudmijn | £600,000 |
| Jacob Widell Zetterstrom | £1.4m |
The reluctant owner was a season ticket holder before taking on the role of owner over two years ago, having made his money through his family’s company, Clowes Developments.
He took over as chairman in 2015 following his father’s passing, a role that he has retained since. However, his story with the company dates back to 1985, becoming a director in 1991.
Clowes and his family have a net worth of £360m, according to The Sunday Times Rich List 2024, and while he is probably most renowned for his role with the local development company, he was also a commercial pilot between 2000 and 2012. He was a First Officer for the first four years of his time at British Midland, before becoming a Captain in 2004.
Marinakis has made his fortune through numerous companies
Although Derby’s owner has been involved mostly with just one company, his counterpart on the other side of the A52, Marinakis, is the majority shareholder of multiple businesses.
The majority of his money has come through his ship management company, Capital Maritime Trading Corp, earning a reported £2.5b since establishing it in 2005. Just 12 years after forming it, he had a fleet of 70 ships under his control.
Not only does the Greek businessman own Nottingham Forest, he is also the controlling stakeholder of Olympiacos in his home country, and is the owner of Portuguese club Rio Ave.
Olympiacos are his most successful club, winning 10 league titles since he took over the club in 2010, and he is slowly building his two other teams into strong competitors in their own divisions after their past struggles.
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