The Saudi league, the Saudi Pro League, is spending huge amounts of money on players’ purchases and salaries, the expert said.
“I think the budget is enough for years to come and I don’t think the process will slow down,” said British football expert Peter Hatton, who is on the league board in Saudi Arabia.
Several players from European clubs, including Karim Benzema and rival Sadio Mane, migrated to KSA after the Saudi Pro League brought five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United last March.
Hatan, a former CEO of Eurosport, ESPN, IMG & Facebook, said: “I have worked in sports for 40 years. I have never seen such a big project, such ambition and determination,” he said.
“The news is not bad,” he said, adding that Arabia’s summer transfer spending “made headlines around the world, only half of what Premier League clubs spent this summer…
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has suggested that the financial power of KSA Pro League clubs has “changed the market for footballers” Clubs should understand this process, he said.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he is “concerned” that the Arabian transfer window is ending three weeks later than the Europa League.
