The Saudi League…a real bet translated by the numbers of the “global transfer market”
The Saudi project to raise the shares of the Football League to the ranks of the best major leagues in the world was not just passing talk, but rather it was a real bet backed by great work translated by the numbers of the summer transfer market, which closed on Thursday, as the Saudi clubs succeeded in obtaining tremendous support from the recruitment program affiliated with it. For the league association.
The Saudi League caught the attention this summer, and was the focus of anticipation for football followers and international media, as it had become a major player on the global scene, in exchange for the deals it completed.
With the close of the summer period, there will be anticipation and waiting for a busy and exciting season with the brilliant names that have registered their presence with all the participating clubs, and “Asharq Al-Awsat” is providing a monitoring of this summer’s deals.
Al-Ittihad completed seven deals this summer, led by French star Karim Benzema, who came from Real Madrid and was crowned the best striker in the world last year, followed by his compatriot N’Golo Kante, the Chelsea player, before Portuguese Joao Felipe (Jota) joined for approximately 30 million euros, then Brazilian Fabinho. Coming from the English ranks of Liverpool for 46 million euros, and finally the Italian defender of Brazilian origins, Luis Filippi, coming from Real Betis.
On the local level, the options for the holder of the Saudi Professional League title were five names, the most prominent of whom was the talented Faisal Al-Ghamdi, coming from the ranks of the Al-Ittifaq team. Al-Ittihad also strengthened its ranks with the players Hassan Kadesh, Sultan Al-Farhan and Saleh Al-Omari, in addition to the goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf coming from Al-Hilal.
Al-Ettifaq shined as a star in the summer Mercato (Al-Ittifaq Club)
Al-Nasr, which finished runner-up to the title holder in the last edition of the league, strengthened its ranks with Croatian Marcelo Brozovic for 18 million euros, in addition to Ivorian Sekou Fofana for 25 million euros, then Senegalese Sadio Mane for 30 million euros, Brazilian Alex Telles for seven million euros, and Portuguese Otavio. For sixty million euros, in addition to the Spanish Laporte for 27.5 million euros, while his local movement was in a single deal, which was the contract with the player Raghed Al-Najjar, the goalkeeper coming from Al-Taawoun.
Al Hilal decided to change seven names of its members on the list of foreign professional players, and completed its contract with the captain of the Brazilian national team, Neymar, for 90 million euros, and included his compatriot Malcolm for 60 million euros, and brought into its ranks the Portuguese Ruben Neves, coming from Wolverhampton, England, for 55 million euros. .
Serbian Savic also attended for 40 million euros, and his compatriot Mitrovic for 52.6 million euros, while Senegalese Khalidou Koulibaly, coming from Chelsea, received 23 million euros, and Moroccan Yassine Bounou, the goalkeeper coming from Seville, received 21 million euros. As for the local market, Al-Hilal concluded its contract with Hassan Timbukti, who is considered the most prominent target name this summer coming from Al-Shabab, at a value of 11.5 million euros, and it contracted with Muhammad Al-Rubaie, with the contract starting in the winter period.
Al-Ahly, which returned again to the Saudi Professional League, after being absent for a year following its relegation to the First Division League, had a hot summer and signed the Senegalese Mendy, Chelsea’s English goalkeeper, for 18.5 million euros, in addition to the Brazilian Firmino, the Liverpool English player, on a free transfer, and the Frenchman Saint-Maximan, who came from Newcastle. The Englishman for 27.2 million euros, and the Algerian Riyad Mahrez, who came from Manchester City, England, for 35 million euros.
Al-Ahly also succeeded in signing the young Spanish player Vega for 40 million euros, and the Brazilian Roger Ibanez for 30 million euros, while the Turkish Merih Demiral got 20 million euros, and the Ivorian Franck Kessie, coming from Barcelona, got 12.5 million euros.
On the local deals side, Al-Ahly signed seven names, led by Firas Al-Braikan from the Al-Fateh team, in addition to Saad Balobaid, Samihan Al-Nabit, and Fahd Al-Rashidi from Al-Taawoun, Abdullah Al-Ammar from Damak, Abdullah Atif from Al-Hilal, and Bassam Al-Huraiji from Al-Batin.
Al-Shabab, which was active late in the summer transfer market, signed Colombian Cuellar for 1.38 million euros, Senegalese Habib Diallo for 18 million euros, Belgian Yannick Carrasco for 15 million euros, and finally Moroccan Romain Saiss on loan from Al-Sadd of Qatar.
In terms of local names, Al-Shabab signed rising star Nawaf Al-Sobhi from the Abha team, in addition to Al-Hilal team duo Abdullah Redeef and Hamad Al-Yami on loan until the end of the season.
Al-Taawoun had an ideal summer in its history, as it signed Gambian Musa Barrow from Italy’s Bollina for 8 million euros, and Brazilian Girotto for 4 million euros, as well as Brazilian Joao Pedro and his compatriots Flavio da Silva and Matthews Castro.
Faisal Al-Ghamdi was one of the most prominent deals that took place with his transfer to Al-Ittihad (Al-Ittihad Club)
On the local side, the team strengthened its ranks with the services of Walid Al-Ahmad, Ahmed Bahsin, Sattam Al-Ruqi, Abdul-Malik Al-Shammari, Saleh Al-Wahimed, and Abdel-Fattah Adam.
As for Al-Fateh, it has completed its contract with Armenian Lucas Zelarayan for 2.75 million euros, Belgian Jason Denayer, Australian Jordan Harrison, and finally Cape Verdean striker Djaneny Tavares.
Al-Ettifaq was one of the brightest clubs active in the summer transfer market, as it began its summer by contracting with the Englishman Steven Gerrard to coach the team in one of the most important steps that was followed by creating a strong team in the presence of the Englishman Henderson, who came from Liverpool for 14 million euros, and the Scottish Jack Hendry for 6.9 million euros. Euros, while the transfer deal for Moussa Dembele was a free transfer, as well as a contract with the Dutchman Wijnaldum for eight million euros, and the Jamaican Demarai Gray for 9.3 million euros.
Damak Club did not move much this summer, but it signed Egyptian international Tariq Hamed, coming from Al-Ittihad Club, and Gambian Assan Ceesay, coming from Italian Lecce, in addition to Cameroonian Nkoudou, coming from Turkish Besiktas, and finally Romanian Stanciu. At the local level, the club completed a number of deals, The last ones were Abdul Rahman Al-Obaid from Al-Hilal, Sanusi Hawsawi from Al-Ettifaq, Sultan Faqihi, Hassan Abu Sharara, Fahd Al-Juhani from Al-Taei, and Nour Al-Rashidi from Al-Wahda.
Al-Tai team, which bid farewell to many of its players at the end of the season, completed its contracts with Ghanaian Bernard Mensah, Dutchman Virgil Messidan, Chilean Enzo Rocco, German Robert Bauer, and finally Croatian Marko Duganic. On the local side, Al-Tai was active this summer and signed Abdel Fattah Asiri, Rakan Al-Shamlan, Ibrahim Al-Nakhli, and Abdul-Rahman Al-Harithi. Tariq Abdullah and Muhammad Marzouk.
Al-Raed began his summer by signing Algerian Amir Saioud, who came from Al-Taie, before including alongside him the Portuguese Andre Moreira, the Senegalese Mamadou Loum, the Cameroonian international Omar Gonzalez, and the Norwegian Mathias Norman, who came from the English club Norwich City.
Al-Fayhaa’s latest deal this summer was the contract with Moroccan international Abdelhamid Sabiri, who came from the Italian club Fiortenia, in addition to Bosnian international Gojko Simerut, and Zambian international Vashkun Sakala for 4.65 million euros.
Abha kidnapped the Polish international player Krychowiak from Al-Shabab Club, and also signed a contract with Malian François Camano, and also included Argentine defender Fabian Nogueira, and locally it signed sub-contracts with Mohamed Naji, Mohamed Al-Awfi, and Saleh Al-Qumaizi.
Al-Wahda team succeeded in signing the highly experienced striker, Nigerian Odin Ighalo, who had previously played two experiences in Saudi stadiums with Al-Shabab and Al-Hilal. It also included Moroccan international Jawad Al-Yamiq for 1.2 million euros, and it contracted with Dutchman Vito van Crooy and brought back its former professional player, Australian Craig Goodwin.
Al-Khaleej, which succeeded in ensuring survival with difficulty last season, included the Portuguese duo Pedro Rebocho and his compatriot Ivo Rodriguez, in addition to the Argentine Lisandro Lopez, the South Korean Wu Yong-yang coming from Qatar’s Al-Sadd, the Bosnian international Ibrahim Sehic, the Egyptian international Mohamed Sherif, and the upcoming German player Khaled Nari. From the ranks of Greek PAOK.
Locally, the Gulf’s contracts were numerous, as it concluded contracts with Saeed Al Hamsal, Abdullah Al-Salem, Khaled Al-Sumairi, Hamad Al-Abdan, Bandar Al-Mutairi, Fawaz Al-Taris, Mansour Hamzi, and Abdul-Ilah Hawsawi.
Al-Hazm, returning to the Saudi Professional League, signed a contract with the Portuguese Antonio Jose, known as “Tozi”, in addition to the Brazilian Vinicius de Souza, the Tunisian Ayman Dahman, the Brazilian Bruno Viana, and Fayez Soleimani, coming from the Comoros, for 1.5 million euros, in addition to the Gambian Mohamed Badmosi.
Locally, the Al-Hazm movement was very large, as it signed Ammar Al-Najjar, Youssef Al-Muzayrib, Turki Al-Mutairi, Yazid Al-Bakr from Al-Taawoun, Nawaf Al-Habashi, Muhammad Al-Thani, Talal Al-Absi, Khalil Al-Absi, and Majid Al-Ghamdi, in addition to the trio present on the last day of the Mercato, Muhammad Abu Sabaan, Rayan Al-Mousa, and Majid Qashish.
Al-Akhdoun, which is competing for the first time in its history in the Saudi Professional League, has completed its contracts with Georgian Solomon Kverkevilia, Brazilian Paulo Vitor, Romanian Florin Tanasi, Spanish Alex Quiado, Colombian Juan Pedroza, Romanian Andre Burca, and Egyptian Ahmed Mustafa, and finally Nigerian Savior Godwin arrived.
Riyadh, which returns to the league after years of absence approaching twenty years, signed a contract with Campania, the former Al-Batin goalkeeper, and signed with Zimbabwean Musona coming from Al-Taei, and it contracted with the Romanian Alin Toshka and his compatriot Dino Hugo, the Malian Birama Toure, the Spanish Juan Miguel Lopez, and the Gabonese Didi Ndong, in addition to Experienced Jamaican wide receiver Anthony Gray.
