Have we come to a point where the Saudi Pro League has become a threat to European football and the Premier League? It's an interesting thought because in Saudi Arabia there seems to be a bottomless pit of money that isn't drying up anytime soon. We have seen players leave and for now when it happens they have reached their mid 30s and just want one more final big time contract. But on the other hand we are also seeing some players leave European football before their time and the Premier League has been targeted.
Edouard Mendy was being touted as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe and he has left Chelsea to join Al Ahli at just 31 years old. Joining Mendy was an even bigger surprise announcement in Ruben Neves who left Wolves at just 26. Neves will reportedly earn £300,000 a week tax free and compare this to his £50,000 a week wage at Wolves and perhaps one can understand why Neves upped and left. In reality what was he going to achieve at Wolves, and yet he was possibly playing in the best league in Europe and has given all of that up. But there seems to be a running theme of jumping ship and this in no way shape or form can compare to when China suddenly started spending grotesque amounts of money on has-been players. Andreas Iniesta and Carlos Tevez come to mind. No for the Saudi League they mean business and this seems like the start of a huge project. In the past great players would laugh off playing in the Middle East and why would you even consider it, the league isn't as competitive as Europe, Europe has all the historic clubs and then there is the Champions League. The problem though apart from the obvious pull of the money is how important is the Champions League in 2023? There are constant stories that the big European clubs are going to at one point breakaway from UEFA and that would obviously devalue the Champions League if the best clubs are not participating in it, it is a growing concern for UEFA. They have fought off the rebels but the rebels are going to keep coming back. With all of that considered it seems that players' choices to join the Saudi League is being made easier for them.
Sports stars are under pressure to perform and win games too, and while the Saudi League is actually much stronger than some would suggest, the level is clearly not as high as Europe. So if you're a player for a team that is expected to win games and you're not, the Saudi league feels like a good escape plan and with a better pay cheque. One club who miserably failed last season was Chelsea and a whole host of their failed stars have been linked to Saudi Arabia. Alongside Mendy some have jumped ship. N'Golo Kante who went from untouchable world class midfielder to an injury ravaged last season has joined Al Ittihad on a free transfer and Kalidou Koulibaly has signed for Al Hilal less than a year after joining Chelsea. One is reminded of Koulibaly taking a call in his car from John Terry and hearing the former Chelsea captain and great giving him encouraging words, it was supposed to be a passing of the torch which soon turned hollow once the money came calling.
For now the best young players are staying in Europe but you do wonder for how long? Money is king in football but in the past players in their prime especially have turned their noses up at joining poorer leagues for more money, but that doesn't seem to be the case now and we are witnessing change. Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi don't play in Europe anymore, the two greatest players by far in European football in the last 15 years. That they don't play in Europe isn't a huge concern given their age but are we now in a period where the next two or three best emerging players will think twice about staying at Real Madrid or Barcelona, which was once unthinkable? It isn't just players that will be pulled either, managers are following suit and for now the Saudi's don't mind if you've failed. If you're from a top European league and have the added bonus of being a great player in your past glories you're going to be given a chance. The case of Steven Gerrard is a good one. He miserably failed at Aston Villa but in Saudi eyes they see his playing days for Liverpool, he is Mr. Premier League. At Villa Gerrard was earning a reported £5m a season at his new club Al Ettifaq he could take home £15m a season. If true that would mean that Gerrard would be earning the same salary as Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, a manager who has turned the clubs fortunes around and will rightly go down as a Liverpool legend once he leaves the club. Gerrard would also be earning almost twice the salary of serial trophy winning manager Jose Mourinho. So the pull to join the Saudi League is very strong and is showing no let up.
Premier League Preview:
The new season kicks off on the weekend of August 11th and for the next few blogs we will have small previews of each game.
Burnley v Manchester City
The season kicks off on Friday evening as the champions who will be chasing a record 4th straight Premier League title open their account against newcomers Burnley. The added spice here of course is that Burnley are managed by Vincent Kompany a former City great. We have seen sides from the Championship cause real problems for Premier League teams in the first few weeks and with this being an evening game at home for Burnley we expect to see a very exciting and entertaining game.
Latest odds: Burnley 9.00, Manchester City 1.30, Draw 5.00
Arsenal v Nottingham Forest
Arsenal have progressed hugely in the last 12 months and they will hope that their big summer signing Declan Rice from West Ham has an immediate impact in midfield. There are plenty of goals in this Arsenal side and they will be determined to give another title push like their surprise one last year. As for Forest the critics will be sharpening their knives, we have seen time and again clubs really struggle in their 2nd season, and this being an opening home game we expect the Gunners to have a lot of joy.
Latest Odds: Arsenal 1.25, Nottingham Forest 10.00, Draw 6.00
Bournemouth v West Ham
It's all change at Bournemouth with new manager Andoni Iraola taking to the dugout. One would expect the Cherries to struggle this season but they could be a difficult side to beat at home. West Ham have a huge gap in their midfield with the departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal and they are still in the hunt for reinforcements which may not arrive in time for the beginning of the season. This is a Hammers side still on cloud nine after finally winning a trophy last season but they must come back down to earth too or they could also, like their hosts, struggle this season.
Latest Odds: Bournemouth 2.75, West Ham 2.50, Draw 3.25
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