After seemingly going on strike in west London, Aleksandar Mitrovic, was always going to end up leaving Fulham in the summer, it was just a question of when.
As something of a cult hero at the club, loved by the fans and a certain starter when fit, the striker had no reason to leave the Cottagers other than the embarrassment of riches on offer in the Saudi Pro League.
A subsequent switch to Al-Hilal meant that Marco Silva would be without the bullish hit man, and any feelings that the Premier League club had for him at that time will have arguably disappeared by now after his latest outburst.
“Al-Hilal is a bit like Real Madrid in Europe. It’s difficult to make comparisons,” he was quoted as saying by Bernabeu Digital.
“It’s not at Premier League level yet, but at this rate it will be in the future. In Arabia I was positively surprised by football and people’s interest in it.”
Regardless of the spin being put on things by players, clubs and the Saudi Pro League, the fact remains that it is well behind the Premier League in terms of development and entertainment, and anyone can read between the lines of what players are saying.
In Mitrovic’s case, comparing Al-Hilal to Real Madrid is, frankly, ridiculous and, in hindsight, Fulham might feel that they’ve done exactly the right thing in selling a player that clearly has ideas well above his station.