The spectre of the Saudi Pro League will hang over the biggest European leagues for some time yet, and given the astronomical amounts of money that are being spent on players and the salaries being offered, even the continents most storied outfits will find it hard to keep hold of their top talents.
Theoretically, the only way players will stay in the top five European leagues in the future will be because they’ve turned down Saudi riches.
There’s little to stop the Pro League from a mass grab given the almost limitless amount of cash on offer.
The latest big-name star to be targeted is Man City’s Bernardo Silva.
According to CBS Sports, Al Hilal are prepared to offer €70m/£59.8m for the 28-year-old Portuguese star. Moreover, the report also states that the Saudi outfit are willing to pay the player an astonishing €50m/£42.5m per year, which dwarves his current €9.1m/£7.8m per Capology.
If a team like Man City are unable to compete on a level playing field in terms of salary expectations and transfer fees, it really does indicate a power shift towards the Middle East.
At present players that are in their supposed footballing prime are turning down their overtures, but it didn’t take long for things to change when the Premier League tried something similar back in 1992.
By 1994, you had the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann and others coming to England to ply their trade.
Once players realise the seriousness of the Saudi Pro League and that the opportunity to earn such vast sums may not come around again, the trickle effect that’s happening at the moment is likely to turn into a mass exodus.