Having once been the director of football at Stamford Bridge, former Chelsea man, Michael Emenalo, is apparently set to take on the same role in the Saudi Pro League.
It’s yet another sign that things are beginning to take a more serious turn in the Middle East.
When Cristiano Ronaldo first went to Al Nassr, it’s fair to say that the response was lukewarm from players and fans alike, but within the space of a few months, thanks in part to the ownership of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), the league has got the potential to become a big player.
On Tuesday, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was the latest big-name European star to be confirmed as having moved to the league.
Sergej Milinkovi?-Savi?, officially new Al Hilal player. ????? pic.twitter.com/3ywD8JIcWe
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 12, 2023
The gold rush effect has already clearly begun, and with The Athletic (subscription required) noting that Emenalo will soon be there, the league will receive another timely boost.
As the outlet note, he is very respected in his field and his appointment can therefore only be seen as a positive one at this point.
If he’s able to start persuading some of the more household names in the top five European leagues to make the switch, then football as we have known it will change beyond recognition.
It wouldn’t be a surprise therefore to see the Premier League and their counterparts in Ligue Un, La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga start to quake in their boots.
wow this Saudi Arabia is going to be a problem