Michael Dell and MSD UK Holdings continue to invest in English football with Derby County loan - a year after Sunderland AFC talks

It follows a similar arrangement with Southampton, with the Premier League side also loaned money by the same firm.

MSD UK Holdings are a newly-established investment group set-up to manage the wealth of billionaire technology tycoon Michael Dell, who last year was mentioned as a potential ‘passive, minority investor’ in a deal to buy Sunderland.

Robert Platek – a director of MSD UK Holdings and an associate of Dell – was heavily involved in those takeover and investment talks with Sunderland AFC last year, which resulted in a £9million loan being given to Stewart Donald’s holding company, Madrox Partners, by a group called FPP Sunderland.

Platek, along with long-time business partners John Phelan and Glenn Fuhrman, were named as directors of FPP. All three have links to Dell having worked for MSD Capital – the group who manage the wealth of the Dell family – in the United States.

MSD have long been mooted to be potential investors in Derby, with this latest charge – registered at Companies House on August 6 – an indication that they see value in providing financial assistance to football clubs.

While the specifics of the deal with Derby, including the amount invested by the group, remains unclear, the charge is registered against the club itself – meaning the Rams will fall into the hands of MSD UK Holdings if the loan is defaulted upon. This is a similar arrangement to that struck between FPP Sunderland and the Black Cats.

The news will come as a further blow to Sunderland supporters who had hoped that FPP Sunderland would purchase the club in the near future – a prospect owner Donald described as ‘unlikely’ in January.

“Their view is that they’re 3000 miles away and they invest in management teams, so their investment was in me,” he said.

“So if I’m not there it’s unlikely, I think, that they’ll want to take it on.”

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