Derby and Clowes were prepared to proceed with those plans, as the Rams owner had already approved the budget and authorised new arrivals while takeover negotiations were still under way.
Clowes financed several deals while expecting to sell the club, including the £6m permanent signing of Bobby Clark from RB Salzburg, a loan-to-buy arrangement worth £2.7m for Ipswich’s Sam Szmodics, and the approximately £600,000 acquisition of Alex Mowatt from West Bromwich Albion.
“That shows what an exceptional owner he is. He expected the takeover to be completed and understood that he would not recover any of the money invested in those players, yet he approved the spending anyway,” Pearce said.
“On 1 July, he could easily have told us and John [head coach John Eustace], ‘It looks as though the sale will be completed, so you will need to wait because I will not recover anything I spend on transfers now.’
“Instead, he continued to support the club, and that has left us in a very strong position.”
Clowes had previously made clear that he wanted additional investment to support the club’s attempt to reach the Premier League. The proposed agreement with Al-Sheikh, a Saudi government official and highly influential figure in boxing, was therefore regarded as a major lift for a team that narrowly missed the play-offs last season.
After the takeover collapsed, Clowes withdrew Derby County from sale and turned his attention to improving the club he had come close to relinquishing.
Following the failed transaction, the largest fee was the £4m paid to sign David Ozoh from Crystal Palace. The club also completed several free transfers and loan moves, including a deadline-day reunion with Eiran Cashin.
When asked whether the unsettled summer had delayed the club’s Premier League ambitions, Pearce responded: “Not at all. If that were the case, we would not have committed so much money.
“Our aim is to keep moving forward and make progress this season.”
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