What is going on at Derby and will club survive? Key questions answered

Had Derby beaten Aston Villa in the 2019 Championship play-off final, the outlook would surely be different. Mel Morris, a local businessman, bet the ranch and lost in his attempt to return Derby to the Premier League for the first time since 2008. They have spent 125 days in administration and are in a race against time to secure a preferred bidder who can fund the club until the end of the season and complete a takeover. The English Football League’s findings over the former chairman’s valuations of players led to a total 21-point deduction this season. “I’m most unhappy with Mel Morris – he is why we’re in this situation,” the manager, Wayne Rooney, said on Friday.

Derby do not have cash to cover bills beyond the January payroll and the EFL has asked them to provide proof of funds to fulfil their remaining fixtures by next Tuesday or risk expulsion. The cost of running the club is about £1.5m a month. The ideal solution is for the administrator, Quantuma, to identify a preferred bidder and move to complete a takeover, but it could also secure additional lending or – and this is seen as the last resort – sell players. Rooney has been reassured that no player will leave without his say-so. The captain, Tom Lawrence, and academy graduates Festy Ebosele and Louie Sibley are attracting firm interest. Derby are unable to make signings or offer contract extensions, which led to Phil Jagielka joining Stoke when his deal expired. The 18-year-old scholar Dylan Williams was sold to Chelsea for what is understood to be a six-figure fee. Derby were unable to offer a professional contract.

The administrator remains confident of an agreement, with at least three parties still at the table. Last week the Binnie family, founders of