Derby County have received some positive news for a change.
The club have endured a torrid time off the field over the past year.
Failed takeovers, legal wrangles with the EFL, transfer embargoes and then entering administration have all made for a sorry state of affairs at Pride Park.
At least Wayne Rooney's side have been bringing some joy to supporters on the pitch. His side may be bottom of the Championship, following that 12-point deduction, but they have the joint-best defence in the division.
Now, they have received a timely financial boost. The Telegraph report that Arsenal have agreed a deal with Derby to defer a substantial payment worth over £1.4million for Krystian Bielik.
The Pole arrived at Derby in 2019 for a deal estimated to be worth up to £10m.
But Derby are said to have only paid £2million worth of instalments so far - leaving a gaping hole to the tune of £8m.
The Telegraph's report claims County were late paying the instalment last month and "would have been unable to pay the seven-figure fee for October".
However, it has now emerged that Arsenal have agreed to defer the payment until next year to help Derby's cash-flow situation.
Earlier this week, Derby's administrators revealed that "there may be a need to sell players" in January if new owners are not found by then.
The admission was delivered by acting administrator Carl Jackson, who attended a Supporters Charter Group Meeting on Monday night.
Last weekend's draw with Swansea saw Derby go level with Bournemouth as the Championship's best defence. They have conceded just eight goals in 11 games, keeping five clean sheets.
Boss Rooney has remained positive about the club's chances of survival and has been buoyed by some impressive performances since the news of administration filtered through.
He told RamsTV: "Overall, with everything that has been going on around the club, I think the lads have been excellent.
"They deserve a lot of credit and praise for their resilience for how they’ve handled things both on and off the pitch.
"I am pleased with how things are going in terms of the results we’re picking up and now we have the international break to get ready for the next games we have coming up."
Derby now have a break in the fixture list due to the international break. They return to action on October 16 with a trip to face Preston North End.
