Saudi money league surprisingly cancels transfer offensive

In the summer of 2023, Saudi Arabia is pursuing the most aggressive transfer strategy ever seen in world soccer. They are investing around one billion euros in new players. Among them numerous world stars. Things are now set to slow down a little in the winter, says the league's director and reveals the real plan.

The Saudi gold rush is over, according to the director of the Saudi Pro League (SPL). In the summer of 2023, the league showered European soccer with almost a billion euros in transfer fees and lured some of the best players to the desert in return. In the upcoming transfer window in January 2024, the league wants to focus on a few stars "at the highest level" and otherwise remain modest.

What at first glance seems like good news for the clubs in Europe's top leagues does nothing to change the plight of Jürgen Klopp. He has signed the Egyptian Mo Salah from Liverpool FC, the Saudis' biggest transfer target. Back in the summer, Al-Ittihad increased their bid for the 31-year-old almost by the minute right up to the last day of the transfer window, and in the end it is said to have been over 170 million euros.

Al-Ittihad are one of four clubs in Saudi Arabia who actually have access to the "pot of money" that Uli Hoeneß spoke of in his interview with RTL/ntv. Like Al-Nassr (Sadio Mané! Cristiano Ronaldo!!!), Al-Hilal (Neymar!) and Al-Ahli (187.5 million euros in transfer spending), they are controlled by the Saudi investment fund PIF. With Al-Taawoun FC from Buraida, there is only one club between the PIF clubs in the league after 13 match days.

"Our work was exciting and aggressive"

Even without the injured Neymar, Al-Hilal are the clear league leaders with 35 points, followed by Ronaldo's Al-Nassr with 31 points. Only the still Salah-less Al-Ittihad FC from Jeddah, who treated themselves to world footballer Karim Benzema in the summer, are currently in fifth place with just 24 points, while Al-Ahli are a little ahead of them in third place with 26 points.

It is always about these emerging super clubs when Michael Emenalo, the director of the SPL, now says that all clubs are as good as taken care of. "We will make additions at the highest level," says the 58-year-old Nigerian, who signed for Eintracht Trier during his playing days in the 1993/1994 season and then made a career as a director at Chelsea and Monaco.

"I hope that we won't have so much to do in January," said Emenalo in an interview with the league's own website. "Our work so far has been quite exciting and also aggressive. Most clubs have everything they need." And if they don't, then they just fall into the "pot of money" once again.

Hoeneß warns of dual attack

But the plan has long been a different one, and it is one that Hoeneß outlined only recently. "They are trying to buy world-class players and also build a proper structure for soccer," said the honorary president of FC Bayern in an interview with RTL/ntv. This distinguishes Saudi Arabia from China, whose soccer project briefly made headlines in the mid-2010s and then quickly disappeared into oblivion.

Saudi Arabia does not want to and will not disappear. Gianni Infantino, a permanent guest in Saudi Arabia, has seen to that. Last month, the FIFA President awarded the Kingdom the 2034 World Cup in an obscure fast-track procedure. It is not yet official, but apart from non-existent revolutionary circles in soccer, there is no doubt that the bid will be awarded in the last quarter of 2024. By then, all the tedious formalities will have been completed.

The SPL is also focusing on this tournament. In addition to the star players from Europe, they also want to develop their own stars in order to send a team to the tournament in 2034 that can not only beat Argentina in one game, as in Qatar 2022, but also remain in the World Cup for a long, long time.

"We've now attracted world-class players and we know that we've also attracted local players who want to get to that level. At their clubs and in the national team," said Emenalo. "To develop them in this direction, we have to bring our infrastructure to this highest level."

He had already observed this in England. World-class players from outside raise the level of soccer as a whole and ultimately lead to world-class domestic players. It's as simple as that. But you have to allow the players to grow, give them the opportunity to do so and develop them in the academies. "I have always said, both privately and publicly, that top footballers are incredible and unique artists. You can only dream of what they can do until you try it yourself and realize how difficult it is," enthused Emenalo. "These guys are exceptional artists, and the artists will be highly appreciated and copied by young people in the country over time, and that will be for the benefit of everyone." Everyone who is interested in Saudi soccer. Everyone who visits the SPL stadiums and now sees the "artists".

"The Saudis seem to be really determined to perhaps dominate world soccer," Hoeneß admitted to RTL/ntv. A rumor from the usually excellently informed"Times" also shows that there is more to this assumption than just pure alarmism. This week, it reported that FIFA has a new major sponsor. Saudi oil giant Aramco is said to be prepared to pony up around 100 million euros a year in sponsorship money. At least until 2034, the actual goal of all the kingdom's footballing endeavors.

Despite the cancellation of their aggressive transfer strategy, Saudi Pro League clubs like Al-Nassr, with Cristiano Ronaldo, and Al-Hilal, featuring Sadio Mané, continue to dominate the league due to their financial backing from Saudi investment fund PIF.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, awarded Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup, further enhancing the country's ambitions to make a significant impact in world soccer.
Uli Hoeneß, former president of FC Bayern, warns of a potential dual attack from Saudi Arabia in soccer, citing their strategic investments in world-class players and proper soccer infrastructure.
Speculations arise that FIFA may have a new major sponsor in Saudi Aramco, who are reportedly prepared to provide around 100 million euros annually in sponsorship money until 2034.

Source: www.ntv.de