An interesting story is brewing in the SPL – and it has nothing to do with the staggering transfer fees
The transfer market has been irrevocably altered by the emergence of the Saudi Pro League as a realistic – and even attractive – destination for football’s biggest stars over the summer. Supported by state-funded takeovers, the country’s four major traditional clubs, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahmad, embarked on the adventure: Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal, paved the way for the championship’s staggering spending, bringing players like Karim Benzema, Neymar and Sadio Mane to the Middle East.
Even teams outside of that elite bubble ended up signing talent who, a few months earlier, would have considered leaving for Saudi Arabia unthinkable. Al-Ettifaq managed to lure Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson to Dammam, and Al-Shabab picked up Yannick Carrasco from Atlético Madrid.
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But for the little thumbs of the league, this type of recruitment is a rarity compared to the affairs carried out by the first four. As a result, it was expected that public clubs would leave all their competitors in their wake this season, but that is not at all what has happened so far.
While the favorites Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr currently occupy the first two places, a disruptive force slips in their wake, in third position, ahead of the four other elite clubs: Al-Taawoun. This isn’t the first time they’ve beaten the odds…
2023-11-04 07:54:21
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