Rooney's financial hardships in Derby County

The red numbers of Barça that precipitated the departure of Messi have caused an earthquake in the world of football that has captured everyone's attention, but in the center of England, Derby County, a team led by Wayne Rooney, faces its own financial storm. The financial juggling of the owner, a local businessman named Mel Morris who acquired the club in 2015, was punished by the Premier League last season with a fine of 117,500 euros and an embargo to make new signings until the accounts are cleared. Now, with the league started and two weeks left on the market, the coach struggles to find any loophole in the restrictions to reinforce his precarious squad for a season in which the goal is only to survive.

Just a few years ago, the Derby was a team that was fighting for promotion to the Premier, however, the perfect storm of sporting failures and the economic impact of the pandemic destroyed the financial forecasts of the club and the debts grew uncontrollably. The league took action against the club a few months ago for not having presented its accounts correctly, non-payment of taxes and irregularities in the appraisal of its players.

By mid-July, Rooney's team had just nine outfield players available, and he appealed. The league then gave the club permission to register players who were without a team with contracts of a maximum of six months; but only until meeting the minimum of 23 professionals. Under the regulations the club already had them because the previous year they had had to play a cup match with homegrown players due to an outbreak of covid in the first team. Having participated in that meeting, the youngsters were classified as "professionals" and, once again, the Derby could not reinforce the squad, not even with more players from the subsidiary. Finally, following a series of injuries, he was allowed to sign a few more - including veteran center-back Phil Jagielka and former Manchester United veteran Ravel Morrison-,but the crisis is far from being resolved. The club is due to hand over its accounts from 2015 to 2018 again next week - after a one-week extension in the deadline - and another fine, perhaps fatal, is possible if they exceed the million-pound deficit allowed.

It is not a usual situation for the Derby, a historic team, founder in 1888 of the English league and since then it has only spent four seasons below the first two divisions. Two years ago, under the command of Frank Lampard, they lost to Aston Villa the final of the

and with it the opportunity to return to the Premier. Lampard left, and with him players like Fikayo Tomori, now the undisputed center-back of AC Milan, and Mason Mount, Champions League champion with Chelsea and Eurocup finalist with England, both on loan from the

. That was the beginning of the debacle.

The following season, interrupted by the pandemic, they finished tenth.

Once again the goal of the Premier was not met, a readjustment was necessary.

Morris had staked everything on promotion, which in England is an immediate injection of tens of millions of pounds, more than the entire budget of many Championship teams.

But in addition to the sporting failure, there was an income devastated by the lack of public in Pride Park, its stadium, and the regulatory eye of the league rested firmly on the club.

In October 2020 Morris announced that he was looking to sell the club, drowning in debt.

The following month the coach, Phillip Cocu, was fired with his team in the last positions of the league, having barely strengthened for the new season.

Unable to hire anyone, the Derby board appointed forward Rooney as coach.

The rest of the season the Derby was spent flirting with relegation. Meanwhile, two sale agreements were closed and disappeared, one with a sheikh from Abu Dhabi, another with a Spanish businessman named Erik Alonso, due to lack of clarity in the buyers' funds. At the same time, the financial situation worsened month by month, it was even reported that in January and February they had failed in payments to players and workers, although the club has denied it on several occasions.

In spring, with just a few dates to play, the situation reached its point of maximum tension. A league audit of the club's accounts found irregularities in the appraisal of the players and imposed a fine of 117,000 euros on the club. In addition, they were saved from an additional point deduction that would have condemned them to relegation - they barely secured the category on the last date of last season with a 3-way draw against Sheffield Wednesday.

At the moment Rooney and his players have a draw and a loss in the league, as well as a penalty win in the first round of the Carabao Cup, but the coach keeps his head high.

Despite the enormous challenge it entails, he cannot conceive of throwing in the towel.

"I'm a fighter.

It is a challenge, sure, but it is an experience that I never thought I would have to face.

I will continue working to prepare the team and bring a little pride back to the club, ”he said before the cup victory.

However, perhaps at the end of the month the England team's top scorer will not be so optimistic.

You can follow EL PAÍS DEPORTES on