Championship SCR
How much can Derby County spend?
Derby County: the SCR breakdown
- Estimated revenue (football) reported £31.9m
- 85% SCR limit (no owner top-up) £27.1m
- Estimated squad cost reported £31.5m
- Headroom vs 85% limit −£4.4m
- + Max owner equity top-up (if used) £16m
- Max spending allowance (with top-up) £43.1m
- Headroom vs max allowance +£11.6m
What this means
On these estimates, Derby County are spending above the 85% Green Threshold but within reach of it - the kind of position the owner top-up allowance is designed to cover. Manageable, but not unlimited.
Summer 2026 window vs SCR headroom
- Window spend (gross) £10m
- Window sales £0
- Net spend estimated £10m
- Pre-window effective SCR headroom (85% limit plus any top-up or allowance) £11.6m
- Against the 85% line alone −£4.4m
A net spend of £10m leaves £1.6m of the £11.6m of effective headroom Derby had before the window opened — the 85% limit plus any owner top-up or allowance, minus estimated squad cost, the same basis as the transfer-window table.
Against the 85% line alone, with no top-up, Derby's pre-window headroom was −£4.4m (already over the line).
Only two of nine incoming deals had disclosed fees: Bobby Clark £6m and David Ozoh ~£4m (club called it undisclosed). All other incomings and all outgoings were free/loan/undisclosed with no reported figure, so sales treated as £0/negligible. True total spend likely somewhat higher given other undisclosed fees.
Source.
Spending beyond calculated headroom is not automatically a breach: transfer fees are amortised over the contract, sales offset signings, and none of it reaches SCR squad cost until the next accounts are filed. Every club's window spend vs headroom →
Old rules vs new: PSR compared to SCR
Under the old PSR system, clubs were judged on total losses over three years, not on what they spent on the squad as a share of revenue. Here's how Derby's position compares under both sets of rules.
| Old PSR (loss-based) | New SCR (revenue-based) |
|---|---|
|
3-year losses: £22m
estimated
Limit: £39m Headroom: +£17m 2022/23–2024/25 |
Squad cost: £31.5m
85% limit: £27.1m · Max (with top-up): £43.1m Headroom: −£4.4m Based on £31.9m revenue |
Post-administration window under David Clowes. 3-year losses modest (~£22m total across League One and first Championship season back). ~£17m headroom. Historic Mel Morris-era losses (£200m+, 21-point deduction) predate this window entirely.
Source.
Compare Derby with another club
← All Championship SCR clubs ranked by SCR headroom