The English Football League (EFL) has urged Derby’s administrators to prove the club can survive after the prospective new owner, Chris Kirchner, missed a deadline to show he had the funds to complete the deal. American businessman Kirchner, who was named as the preferred bidder in April, was given until 5pm on Friday to show he was in a position to complete the deal. He failed to meet that deadline, and the EFL now have serious concerns over Derby’s future. A statement earlier on Friday from the club’s administrators, Quantama, read: “Further to our update yesterday evening, and despite the best efforts of the parties, Mr Kirchner has, as of yet, not provided us with satisfactory evidence that he is in a position to complete the acquisition of the club – albeit he continues to work on this.” In response, an EFL statement said: “Following confirmation that the transaction with Chris Kirchner has not progressed, the EFL calls on Quantuma to clarify how they plan to take the club out of administration. As previously communicated, the league is incredibly frustrated at the time it is taking to conclude this sale. “With the League just two weeks away from announcing its 2022-23 fixture list, it urgently requires a clear understanding of how the club will be funded moving forwards – be that through the administrators or under new ownership.” The administrators for the stricken League One club have been in discussions with other interested parties as a contingency measure, with the former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley among them. It appears that for the time being, Kirchner is still pursuing the deal, having exchanged contracts with the joint administrators on 16 May.