With cameras focused on Premier League managers at the start of the season, it was fair for football reporters to ask to what extent the Saudi Pro League rivaled European competition. Pep Guardiola had lost Riyad Mahrez, a key player of his Treble-winning team, to Al-Ahli, and Aymeric Laporte would soon join Al-Nassr.
“Just a few months ago, a year ago, when Cristiano Ronaldo was the only one going, then no one could have imagined the amount of top level, top players, quality and extraordinary players that would play in the Saudi league,” Manchester United said. City manager. “I think this will increase even more in the near future.”
Fast forward six months and most of those “best, best” players are still there, but a few cracks are starting to appear. Jordan Henderson, the only England international to move to Saudi Arabia in the summer, has returned to Europe after failing to settle at Al-Ettifaq. The failure of his former Liverpool teammate Roberto Firmino to make the team at Al-Ahli led to uncertainty about his future at the club.
And Real Madrid great Karim Benzema has raised questions about his availability during the Asian Cup’s SPL break when he was not at Al-Ittihad’s mid-season training camp. Sources insist the 36-year-old is not moving, but this window has a different feel to the summer.
The Saudis were offering £150 million for Mohamed Salah on deadline day, but there has been less movement this time, with each club already filling eight slots for foreign players. They are expected to increase the quota to 10 by the end of the season to gain more traction in the market.
When Henderson was interviewed Athletic Regarding his move in Saudi Arabia, he insisted that the move was “positive” and used the word several times when justifying his move. Six months later, his brief spell in the Middle East has exposed the negativity a player can face.
In his farewell speech, Henderson said that the decision was made because of his family. They failed to settle down and moving to Saudi Arabia would have been a huge upheaval for any family. Despite being one of the few times the current England international has played in front of fans that have dipped below 1,000 at times, Henderson signed off: “I will continue to watch and hope for your success.”
His unfortunate time in the SPL showed that it takes a certain type of player to travel and adapt to this new environment. And that sticking with it is worth your time. Players moving to Saudi Arabia will only be able to earn tax-free earnings after spending the entire financial year away from the UK. Telegram It was revealed that Henderson had deferred his salary, thought to be for tax purposes, without doubting whether he would be paid for his entire period at Al-Ettifaq.
The Henderson saga could be a turning point for the SPL. Are they fading away like the Chinese Super League, which broke transfer records for Chelsea’s Ramires in 2016 and paid Graziano Pelle more than £250,000 a week, but soon introduced financial rules, including a salary cap? Dragged into insignificance, Covid put an end to some clubs.
Saudi Arabia at least has the World Cup in its bag and will host the world’s biggest tournament in 2034. They still have Ronaldo. Even though he is injured for now, they still have Neymar. And there are no signs of the money running out. But will they get another current England international? The last time Gareth Southgate spoke about Henderson, he said he was planning to go out to watch him but had yet to do so. With Henderson being booed by fans when he plays at Wembley, it seems a huge risk for the player to swap the major European leagues for the SPL.
Some were pleased with the move. According to anecdotes, it is said that there is a difference between those transferred to the four clubs belonging to Saudi Arabia’s “Public Investment Fund” (PIF) and other teams. Henderson was at a non-PIF club and Al-Ettifaq’s manager Steven Gerrard explained how they had laid the foundations for a new stadium and training base.
“We knew from the beginning that this was a big and challenging job. We had to implement new infrastructure in stages, such as building a new training ground and a new stadium. But a lot has been achieved,” Gerrard said.
“The Saudi league is very competitive. They have very important players. Some outstanding coaches. “They know they are not in the top five leagues in the world but they are determined to get as close to that as possible.”