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September 2, 2024

Remains Ambitious Despite Quiet Transfer Window, Says CEO – Saudi Pro League

Three days after Manchester City finalized Joao Cancelo’s transfer to Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli of Jeddah made headlines on Friday by securing Brentford striker Ivan Toney for an estimated 40 million euros ($44 million). This significant acquisition rounded off a busy month of August for the Saudi Pro League, showcasing its continued ambition to bring top talent from Europe’s elite leagues to the Middle East.

According to league chief executive Omar Mugharbel, the entrance of Ivan Toney and Joao Cancelo clearly indicates that the Saudi Pro League’s high goals are still within reach despite a relatively quiet transfer window in Saudi Arabia.

Three days after Premier League winner Manchester City sold Cancelo to Al-Hilal of Riyadh, Al-Ahli of Jeddah paid London club Brentford an estimated 40 million euros ($44 million) for Toney on Friday, August came to a close.

“This is only the beginning with more transfers on the pitch and more development off the pitch,” Mugharbel stated to The Associated Press on Monday, the last day of the SPL summer transfer window.

Even still, it is anticipated that the 18 Saudi Pro League clubs will only have spent roughly one-third of what they did last summer—a $957 million shopping spree that brought Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed with Al-Nassr in December 2022—and other big-name players like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Neymar, and Riyad Mahrez to the team.

This time, no such megastars signed on; instead, players like Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool chose to remain with their European teams.

Before Toney’s arrival, Al-Ittihad made the most significant acquisition, paying Aston Villa $60 million for French winger Moussa Diaby.

“The reality is that there have been a lot of signings this summer but maybe not the ones that the media are most interested in,”  Mugharbel, who took over as CEO in January, stated.

Many teams already had their fair share of foreign players, accounting for part of the absence of huge signings. Ten immigrants are allowed per Saudi Pro League 2024 team, two of whom must be 21 years of age or younger. This rule has limited the room for new additions because most of the best players have stayed with their teams.

Cancelo was brought in after Brazilian forward Michael Delgado was released by reigning title Al-Hilal. Domestic reports state that Al-Nassr parted ways with former Manchester United defender Alex Telles on Sunday in preparation for Monday’s signing of a replacement.

“Last season we had a lot of opportunities to sign star players either because we had the positions available in the clubs themselves or there were a lot of interesting players that we wanted to recruit into the league,” Mugharbel said. “For the most part, most of the players that we brought in or the clubs brought in are actually still in the league, which is a positive sign that things are moving in the right direction.”

The recently promoted Al-Qadsiah is the team most active in the transfer market. With the backing of the massive Saudi oil company Aramco, the Al-Khobar club in the east has added several new players, which signifies the league’s potential for attracting star players.

The two most notable were the arrival of Spanish international defender Nacho Fernandez from Real Madrid, where he won 26 trophies, including six Champions League titles, and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Marseille, who had previously played for Barcelona and Arsenal.

“I think what we’ve managed to do last season is really open up the league and create an attractive proposition for star players,” added Mugharbel. “We are continuing on the same path.”

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