Cristiano Ronaldo led the way. This winter, the Portuguese star joined Al-Nassr after terminating his contract with Manchester United. A powerful strike and an excellent operation for the Saudi Professional League team, which managed to attract a football star into its own net. In the past, other famous players have also developed in this league. But with a CR7, five-time Ballon d’Or and the most followed personality in the world on social networks, the victory delivered a very heavy blow. However, many criticized the choice of the Portuguese, who joined a minor league in their eyes.
Stars and millions
Six months later, the Saudi Professional League has become a veritable hunt for football stars. Al-Ittihad succeeded in expelling Karim Benzema from Real Madrid. This, while he only has one year left on his contract and still has the required level of development in Europe. Same for N’Golo Kanté, who arrived devoid of Chelsea, or Jota. Fabinho (Liverpool) could also join them for a €45m cheque. The Brazilian has already agreed according to our information. His Reds teammate, Jordan Henderson, is expected to join Steven Gerrard’s side. The amount of the operation: 13 million euros.
It was assumed that Roberto Firmino (Al-Ahly) would soon join Riyad Mahrez (Man City), who agreed. Luis Diaz appeals to Al-Hilal, who recruited Sergey Milinkovic-Savic in particular. Victory managed to enlist Sekou Fofana as he pushed to get his hands on Sadio Mane and Moussa Diaby. With millions, Saudi clubs have been able to make very big strides and get ahead of European clubs by less significant means. If Lionel Messi refuses to attend, it is likely that other players will arrive in the coming months and years. But how do Saudi teams convince players?
monetary method
According to our information and the feedback we got from various agents and brokers who work with Saudi Professional League clubs, the process is very simple in the end. The Saudis identify the players they want to sign and then try to reach an agreement with them. If an agreement is reached, they will contact their club. Otherwise, they do not want to waste time and move on. Their plan is to first impress the soccer players, who are often hard to convince.
At least, this is less and less the case. “You will be surprised. More and more players are asking their agents to contact Saudi clubs because they are hearing huge sums.A well-established agent in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Another notable fact, is that SPL clubs want to recruit players who play in the Premier League as a priority. They are really obsessed with this championship, which is the best in the world in their eyes. Finally, they have a rather radical method. “They can change targets in 5 minutes.”we were told.
The Saudis are aiming for the Premier League
In fact, as long as the process is not completed, the Saudis can back off at any time and embark on another path. This was the case of Hakim Ziyech. While everything was tied to Chelsea and the Moroccan, Al Nasr changed his mind. Then the CR7 bat continued when a knee problem was discovered. A new stronghold of world football, Saudi Arabia, which wants to organize the World Cup, is still at the beginning of its XXL project. However, it is good to remember that if the amounts we talk about in the press are enough to make you dizzy, the reality is a bit different.
Financially strong, Saudi teams don’t all benefit from the same budget. Al-Ahly, Al-Nasr, Al-Hilal and Al-Shabab have a bigger envelope than the others, who already have great potential. But the salaries reported in the media are not as high as advertised. Among the players recruited, Karim Benzema is the highest paid player. The figure that goes up thanks to the bars and rights. But not all players have these advantages. Ready to conquer the world and the football planet, Saudi Arabia has devised a specific and very atypical plan to recruit players.
pub. the
to update
