by As camera lenses focused on Premier League managers at the start of the season, it was a fair question from football reporters to ask how much the Saudi Pro League was up against European competitions. Pep Guardiola had just lost Riyad Mahrez, a key member 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 who went, no one could imagine the amount of best players, great players, high quality, great players who will play in Saudi league,” said the Manchester. City manager. “I think it will happen more and more in the near future.”
Fast forward six months and most of those “top, top” players are still there but some cracks have started to emerge. 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. His old Liverpool team-mate Roberto Firmino cannot be in the team at Al-Ahli, which has left his future at the club uncertain.
And Real Madrid star Karim Benzema sparked questions about whether he will be available when he was absent from Al-Ittihad’s mid-season training camp during the SPL’s Asian Cup break. Sources insist the 36-year-old is not on the move but this window has a different feel compared to the summer.
The Saudis were offering Mohamed Salah £150 million on deadline day, and this time there is less movement, with all clubs already full with their eight places for foreign players. They are expected to increase the quota to 10 at the end of the season to allow more drawing power in the market.
When Henderson was interviewed by The Athletic over his move in Saudi, he insisted that the move was “positive” and used the word repeatedly in justifying his move. Six months on and his short stint in the Middle East has highlighted the negatives a player can have.
The decision was because of his family, Henderson said as he waved goodbye. They failed to settle down and moving to Saudi Arabia was a huge shock for any family. “I will continue to watch and hope for your success,” was how Henderson agreed, although he will be one of the few, with the England international currently playing in front of crowds that have fallen below 1,000 times. .
His ill-fated time in the SPL showed that it takes a certain type of player to travel and adapt to those new environments. And that it is worth their time to stick to it too. Players who move to Saudi Arabia will only receive tax-free earnings after spending a full financial year outside the UK. The IS telegraph Henderson revealed his salary, which is believed to be for tax purposes, without doubt being paid in full for his time at Al-Ettifaq.
The Henderson saga could be a watershed for the SPL. Have they gone away like the Chinese Super League, who were breaking transfer records in 2016 for Chelsea’s Ramires and paying more than £250,000 a week to Graziano Pelle but soon implemented financial rules including salary cap. After becoming irrelevant, some clubs have been shut down by Covid.
At least Saudi Arabia have the World Cup in the bag and will host the world’s biggest tournament in 2034. They still have Ronaldo. They still have Neymar, although he is injured at the moment. And there is no sign of the money running out. But will they find another current England international? When Gareth Southgate last spoke about Henderson he said he was planning to go out to watch him play, but hadn’t done so yet. With Henderson won by his own fans when he played at Wembley, it would appear that the player would be in danger of swapping the major European leagues for the SPL.
Some were happy with the move. Anecdotally, those moving to the four clubs owned by Saudi Arabia’s “Public Investment Fund” (PIF) are said to differ from other outfits. Henderson was at a non-PIF club and Al-Ettifaq manager Steven Gerrard has discussed how they are laying 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 such as building a new training center in stages and building a new stadium. But a lot has been achieved,” said Gerrard.
“The Saudi league is very competitive. He has got great players. Some excellent trainers. They know they are not in the top five leagues in the world, but they are determined to be as close as they can be.”
