Saudi Pro League: The story of the summer was the rapid expansion of the Saudi Pro League, which recruited scores of star players from Europe’s top clubs.
This year, when Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United for Al-Nassr, some eyebrows were raised. Yes, he was nearing the end of his illustrious career, with his finest days in the rear-view mirror, but he remained one of the world’s most legendary footballers.
But a league cannot be created by the signing of a single star player, even if that player is in the discourse about the greatest of all time. Add a sprinkling of other elite players from various clubs, and regardless of the underlying principles, more people will pay heed.
During the summer, players from Real Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich, among others, relocated to Saudi Arabia. Neymar is the latest elite figure to join a Saudi Pro League club, and it appears that the transfer frenzy will continue.
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Elite Players of Saudi Pro League
The aforementioned Portuguese sensation arrived in January, and we’ve heard almost daily rumours about who will join him this summer. Karim Benzema, captain of Real Madrid and reigning Ballon d’Or recipient, signed a contract with Al-Ittihad, joining N’Golo Kanté and Fabinho.
Sadio Mane and Marceo Brozovic have joined Cristiano Ronaldo, while Al Ettifaq have signed two former Liverpool captains, Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson.
Al Ahli’s raids on the Premier League for Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Edouard Mendy, and Allan Saint-Maximin are perhaps the most astonishing transactions of the summer thus far.
The transfer window is active from 1 July to 20 September 2023.
This means that Saudi clubs have one more month to sign players from the main European leagues. As the momentum behind the newly-funded league grows, more transfers are likely.
With the transfer windows of the Premier League, LaLiga, and other major European leagues due to close at the beginning of September, this could pose significant challenges for clubs. While the Saudi transfer window is still open in September, Saudi teams could make massive proposals to sign players from clubs that cannot replace them until January.
In light of this, there could be a multitude of significant transfers to the Saudi Pro League later this summer.
