Whether the Premier League or any other league for that matter like it or not, the Saudi Pro League are coming for the best players in the world and according to transfer expert, Ben Jacobs, they want 20 elite names on their roster including Man City’s Bernardo Silva and Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min.
The current trickle of players deciding upon taking the incredible riches on offer could well turn into a tide if the owners of Newcastle and of the major four teams in the Pro League, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), get their way.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante have already made the switch, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as Jacobs is concerned.
‘All kinds of star names are being linked to the Saudi Pro League and there are over 20 active talks with European players by Saudi dealmakers,’ he wrote in his exclusive CaughtOffside Substack.
‘At the time of writing, Hakim Ziyech (Al-Nassr), Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal) and Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli) are closing in on transfers. And N’Golo Kante has already signed for Al-Ittihad. Chelsea will be delighted to get so many outgoings done early, although I don’t any of the fees will be crazy. The expectation is Chelsea will make a loss on the players.
‘William Carvalho to Al-Nassr is also looking likely and Ruben Neves will join Al-Hilal in a deal worth €55m. This is a huge coup for the league because he’s only 26 and spoke of wanting to leave Wolves for Champions League football.
‘Bernardo Silva is a concrete target, but it is not thought he wants to leave Europe just yet. And there is low confidence Son Heung-min will move in 2023 to Al-Ittihad. Son is a genuine target, but Spurs don’t want to sell. It’s likely one to watch in 2024 unless anything dramatic changes.
‘Saudi dealmakers also recently travelled to Paris to explore a deal for Neymar but he also prefers to stay in Europe. It will be interesting to see if Enrique’s expected arrival at the Parc des Princes impacts Neymar’s future. PSG are very open to a sale, but Enrique may have other ideas.
‘Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, PIF, who also own Newcastle, control four of the biggest clubs: Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad and are the dealmakers for many major transfers. They want around 20 elite names and over 50 signings in total. The aim is to create rivalries in Riyadh and Jeddah with global appeal. And next season English-speaking TV rights will be sold.’
Their plans are certainly set to shake up football, and the interesting thing to note is whether it will just be another flash in the pan as we saw with the exodus to the Chinese Super League, or whether the Saudi Pro League and the money available is here to stay.
Many of the players being tempted are the wrong side of 30 years of age, though Wolves’ Ruben Neves is a coup for the league given he’s just 26 and still not yet in his prime as a player.
Rather than just dismiss the entire premise of what PIF are trying to achieve as fanciful, the Premier League and others would do well to sit down and seriously study just what threat is realistically in the offing.