THE Saudi Pro League WILL bid for Mohamed Salah or Kevin De Bruyne this summer — if an opportunity arises.
But following last summer’s game-changing shopping spree, the transfer market’s biggest new powerhouse is prepared to wait until the time is right to make superstar signings for the next phase in its development.
Although there is still time for things to change, Saudi clubs have kept their powder relatively dry so far.
Saudi Pro League sides splashed out about £700MILLION last summer, a total that put the league behind only the Premier League, Ligue 1 and Serie A.
Of that £700m, £560m was spent on Prem players and represented nearly half the league’s income from overseas clubs, fuelling a record top-flight outlay of £2.36BILLION.
Liverpool pair Jordan Henderson and Fabinho and Chelsea trio N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy all moved to the Middle East.
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But Moussa Diaby’s £50.5m transfer from Aston Villa to Al-Ittihad is the only major deal done so far this summer.
The money is still there if Saudi clubs need it.
The Player Acquisition Centre of Excellence had an eight-year budget for international transfers when it was established last year.
At least a couple of big-name arrivals can be expected soon.
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But there is an acceptance Salah and De Bruyne may be tricky to sign now and could be available for no fee if they do not agree new contracts.
There is another good reason why it might make sense to wait until at least January.
All of the Saudi Pro League’s media rights contracts expire at the end of the upcoming campaign, due to start later this month and end in May.
Bringing in a new superstar now would not boost the current TV revenues of £100m per year.
Only £10-15m of that comes from broadcasters outside the Arab world.
But that could change dramatically with the right signing at the right time and players like Salah and De Bruyne would increase rights in every market.
The emphasis of future transfer spending will be on quality rather than quantity.
And the desire to make the league more competitive is set to see talent spread around more evenly in future.
A knock-on effect of the lack of Saudi spending has been a factor in restricting Prem spending so far.
Dr Tom Bason, from Coventry University’s Centre for Business in Society, said: “Last year’s window was kick-started by the cash injection from Saudi Arabia
“Whether that was a transfer fee which allowed clubs to spend money or clubs being able to get players on big contracts off the books.
“Without Saudi money, many clubs just don’t have as much cash to spend.”
But Peter Hutton, an Saudi Pro League board member, said: “The growth of the league is a long-term project.
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“Solid budgets are in place for the league to acquire players, and the new players are positive influences as we try and raise standards.”
Liverpool, Manchester City and the rest of the Premier League should not be lulled into a false sense of security.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
