Will the transfers to the Saudi league become a problem for European football?

[Unknown01]

I feel it'll become a big problem in future... I was just thinking of this some time ago until i got into this post... The Arabians are tryna wheel the attention and fame of the whole European football to themselves - But they all thought between themselves that it's not possible without inducing fascinating offers to European licensed footballers - now, the effects is oozing rapidly...
I believe that's Thier target, especially since they're also on multi billion projects that are anticipated 2030. Except there are ways to curb the transfer actions, boundaries are required immediately.

Sandra 🧑‍🦰

Yes, so the majority here is of the same opinion that Saudi Arabia wants to become a football powerhouse and can also be dangerous for European football. The only positive thing at the moment is that Uefa has ruled out Saudi clubs being allowed to participate in European competitions such as the Champions League. If they were also allowed to take part in the CL, it would be very bad for our football.

[slapper]

BTW europe has a lot of talents so no matter the numbers of players that are leaving there's still going to more players to retake their spots, also Financial Fair Play (FFP) might step in to control the transfer activities of the Saudi Arabian clubs.

It's hard to imagine that. In fact, saudi club have been spending billions to buy the new players from european continent, but FIFA was not even commenting it. Numerous complaints about saudi's aggressive transfers have been appearing but i remind you that there was no FFP in saudi pro league.
It's different with EUFA that was implementing FFP for european club while saudi can spend as much as possible to buy the new players. I do not even think we will see FFP to be implemented into the SPL.

We will not see FIFA to take a further step to pervent saudi caused by money talks much in this case.

This is the reason, when one place has no rule against the financial situation and they can buy anyone at any price they want, it is obvious that they are going to end up with a good result one way or another. I think it should be important to notice that it is going to be fine for them.

I still do not think that it is a big deal though, it costs them way too much to get a player compared to other places, they still have to get players for much more money if they want to get them. Look at Ronaldo, it was a good "business" decision to get him, which opened the door for other players, but he is getting paid unreal amount of money, it shouldn't be possible for single player to get that much money if you ask me.

Without financial regulations, clubs can buy any player. Is it sustainable? Not always. Football isn't a transaction, yet huge amounts may attract players. Sport thrives on passion, dedication, and talent. To call it a business arrangement devalues the game. It's naive to think Ronaldo's purchase was a "business" choice. Despite his high salary, do you consider his global appeal, charm, and brand value? Though I agree, paying exorbitant amounts for athletes sets a dangerous precedent. Despite this nonsense, globalization has had a major impact on football. We love seeing football become global, but we don't want Saudi to follow China's example of massive investments and no football culture

[LUCKMCFLY]

Soccer players are like mercenaries. They go to the side which offers the most generous offer. If arabian soccer industry is able to afford top tier players in the world, of course the Saudi league is going to take protagonism in global soccer, finally overcoming european ones. It's early to say it yet, but without any doubts there is a clear tendency being drawn here: the downfall of european soccer and the rise of the east.

Well, it's a very good comparison, don't forget that it sounds very good, but you also have to be something, we put ourselves in the shoes of a soccer player and I would be one, who would go to Saudi Arabia because I know there is a good level football and I know that with just one contract I can achieve many things in life, with just one, and I will be more valued, in Europe things are tougher, firstly because of the payment, secondly because if they don't want to put you in they leave you on the bench the whole season, so that is something that is useless, because only going to train so that later he does not have to play because they prefer a more famous player, so that does not make sense to me, it makes sense is my career as a professional soccer player and between more minutes of play have much better for the career of any player, so they must be based on that so that they can have a superior performance, in the case of Saudi soccer they take advantage of all talent, for now they are hiring veterans, veterans that they Discarded in Europe that did not treat them very well, it is a pity that Messi would have preferred to go to the MLS and not Saudi football, perhaps if he had chosen Saudi football he would have wanted to play another world cup , but let's see , it is never too late and many things they can pass and become good, I hope that Messi is not like all the footballers who enter the MLS where they just go and retire.

I think the younger players and those who are promises from some countries are seeing Saudi football as one of the best options, first of all because there are the star Players who have always marked football, the fact that they are not in Europe and Do not play a UCL because it is the only thing, although everything can change in the future, so Europe has to do many things, such as increase the money Offers , which I know will never be Able to match those made by the Saudis, so that is a limitation , I also see that all the football leadership, the media are turning to the Saudi side , that is Already something quite big.

[gabbie2010]

I read every day about a new superstar moving to the saudi league and I think this is slowly becoming a problem for European football. I grew up with the fact that all footballers in the world are pursuing the dream of playing football in a top European league at some point. For me, leagues like the Premiere League, La Liga, Seria A or the German Bundesliga are part of it. But even our weaker leagues were popular to players to prove themselves as good players.

This can't be a problem for European league because the bulk of those players are already at the peak of their career,  majority of those players can't enjoy a starting lineup in their former clubs respectively, they are rather unused substitute eg  Mahrez, Mendy, Koulibaly etc, most importantly they opted to play in Saudi Arabian league based on the lucrative wages paid by the clubs playing for few more seasons before retirement would in the long run empower them financially.

Since Ronaldo's move, we've been faced with the big problem that a lot of top players have followed him, some of whom are very young, and of course that's very good for the Saudi league, but European football is losing very important and great talents.

I don't think there are young players that would prefer the Saudi Arabian club to the European clubs we had read few offers to some of the best players in Europe which was turned down or rejected, Mbappe, Osimen etc were offered a mouthwatering offer but were rejected.

[maydna]

I read every day about a new superstar moving to the saudi league and I think this is slowly becoming a problem for European football. I grew up with the fact that all footballers in the world are pursuing the dream of playing football in a top European league at some point. For me, leagues like the Premiere League, La Liga, Seria A or the German Bundesliga are part of it. But even our weaker leagues were popular to players to prove themselves as good players.

This can't be a problem for European league because the bulk of those players are already at the peak of their career,  majority of those players can't enjoy a starting lineup in their former clubs respectively, they are rather unused substitute eg  Mahrez, Mendy, Koulibaly etc, most importantly they opted to play in Saudi Arabian league based on the lucrative wages paid by the clubs playing for few more seasons before retirement would in the long run empower them financially.

No one knows whether this will be for the European leagues or whether the European leagues will still be fine with it. But sooner or later, the European leagues can lose their talented players because they have received offers from the Saudi league, where they can earn a higher salary than if they lived in their country. Many players want to earn high wages, even if it means leaving their clubs, they will probably want to do it. If a player retires, the Saudi league will have its target players who will be given offers to play in the Saudi league, and those who see the offer numbers will be tempted to move there.

[macson]

No one knows whether this will be for the European leagues or whether the European leagues will still be fine with it. But sooner or later, the European leagues can lose their talented players because they have received offers from the Saudi league, where they can earn a higher salary than if they lived in their country. Many players want to earn high wages, even if it means leaving their clubs, they will probably want to do it. If a player retires, the Saudi league will have its target players who will be given offers to play in the Saudi league, and those who see the offer numbers will be tempted to move there.

i actually think football in Europe will continue to be fine, football will never only sell big name players but also big team names, we won't see Real Madrid moving to the Arab league or Manchester United moving to the Arab league, so there's no need worried about the phenomenal transfer of old star players to the saudi arabia league.

the money spent by many clubs in the saudi arabia league actually looks like they are wasting money, they look wasteful, it is likely that phenomena like this will not happen for long.

[maydna]

~snip~

i actually think football in Europe will continue to be fine, football will never only sell big name players but also big team names, we won't see Real Madrid moving to the Arab league or Manchester United moving to the Arab league, so there's no need worried about the phenomenal transfer of old star players to the saudi arabia league.

the money spent by many clubs in the saudi arabia league actually looks like they are wasting money, they look wasteful, it is likely that phenomena like this will not happen for long.

Perhaps the European leagues will be as fine as we think, but at least some impact will come from these famous players' move to the Saudi league. It is undeniable that famous players who move can impact clubs in European leagues, so if they move, a decline might occur in each European club.

We think that what the clubs in the Saudi league are doing seems like a waste of money. It looks wasteful, but not for the owners of the clubs in the Saudi league. Moreover, many of the owners of the Saudi league clubs are very rich, considering they have many sources of income. Money will mean nothing to them.

[Shishir99]

We think that what the clubs in the Saudi league are doing seems like a waste of money. It looks wasteful, but not for the owners of the clubs in the Saudi league. Moreover, many of the owners of the Saudi league clubs are very rich, considering they have many sources of income. Money will mean nothing to them.

It's not a waste for them. Their government gave a massive budget for the sports only to make their leagues international standard because they are planning to host the Football world cup. To do that, they need star players so their country get more attention from all over the worlds. They even changed their country rules for some specific players.

People in Arabs cannot live with girlfriend without getting married. But Saudi Arabia allowed Cristiano Ronaldo and they will allow many more players. Those are the exceptions they are making for those players.

[Yogee]

Toni Kroos recently came out and said that players moving to Saudi are only in it for the money and that act is against football. He has no problems for players transferring at the end of their careers to be fair to him. He's more concerned about those leaving European teams at the height of their careers or before reaching their full potential.

He's in his right to share his opinion but I think this is inevitable. The Saudi League will only grow from here and the only thing that may slow down their growth is the lack of competitions against top clubs like in UEFA. They compete in the AFC but the level of talent isn't comparable yet.

[KTChampions]

I see no problem that European football will lose its special position (if Saudi Arabia continues to invest a lot of money in football). If the best players are more evenly distributed across the different regions of the planet then maybe competitions like the Club World Cup will make some difference. At the moment it's nothing more than a joke and I don't know who watches these tournaments.
In general, judging by the trends, if European clubs (top clubs) do not organize the Super League, then they will basically stagnate and fade away, and the place of the Super League will be taken by the Premier League, which in financial terms is exactly the Super League already.

[Woodie]

I feel it'll become a big problem in future... I was just thinking of this some time ago until i got into this post... The Arabians are tryna wheel the attention and fame of the whole European football to themselves - But they all thought between themselves that it's not possible without inducing fascinating offers to European licensed footballers - now, the effects is oozing rapidly...
Sandra 🧑‍🦰

And if you ask me with all the crazy offers they have been throwing around at players is definitely working in their favor!
And with all the oil money they have, they have shown the world that with money you can do anything possible and the Saudi Arabian league will forever become a football destination for many player's especially when they know that salaries are above average when compared to what's available in Europe...expect more big names to be flocking here!

Not every player will be swayed by the fat pockets of the Saudis, Mbappe proved it when he turned down the lucrative deal from Al Hilal because he wants to be in europe.

Maybe this offer came from the wrong team, had it been a team that was going to reunite him with his football idol CR7, he most likely would have left!!!

BTW europe has a lot of talents so no matter the numbers of players that are leaving there's still going to more players to retake their spots,

I don't think so !!
Take for example the strikers that have gone this side, Benzema,  Mane, CR7, Mitrović ,Neymar etc do we have strikers that can match up to these guys in europe atm, I doubt it. The approach the Saudis have taken is to target the big names of football to make a name for themselves.

also Financial Fair Play (FFP) might step in to control the transfer activities of the Saudi Arabian clubs.

Does Financial Fair Play (FFP) really go as far as the Saudi league, I doubt it!

[Jody.Drummer]

Toni Kroos recently came out and said that players moving to Saudi are only in it for the money and that act is against football. He has no problems for players transferring at the end of their careers to be fair to him. He's more concerned about those leaving European teams at the height of their careers or before reaching their full potential.

He's in his right to share his opinion but I think this is inevitable. The Saudi League will only grow from here and the only thing that may slow down their growth is the lack of competitions against top clubs like in UEFA. They compete in the AFC but the level of talent isn't comparable yet.

And I don't think Kroos is the only one who thinks like that, because I've also heard many even here who speculate that they (players who go to Arabia) as one of the endings of their careers. But in fact many players are interested and go there, and even some of those players are valuable players when they are in Europe.
This is simply because Europe, especially the big leagues, is the mecca of world football. Perhaps the situation will change when the Arab League becomes bigger than it is now.
But whatever happens I hope those who go to Arabia don't regret it in the end, because it is their full decision.

[Jawhead999]

Nope, it's not really a problem.

Not all football fans are want to watch specific player they fan especially the league is using a language that they not understand. As long as Ballon d'Or is rewarded to top league and both UEFA Champions with Europa league are popular, nothing should be worried.

The European countries must be worried if AFC Champions league is more popular than UEFA Champions league.

[mv1986]

Nope, it's not really a problem.

Not all football fans are want to watch specific player they fan especially the league is using a language that they not understand. As long as Ballon d'Or is rewarded to top league and both UEFA Champions with Europa league are popular, nothing should be worried.

The European countries must be worried if AFC Champions league is more popular than UEFA Champions league.

Language is no criteria here as they could easily contract commentators speaking whatever language is sufficiently popular and in demand. That's not the point.

A question I have asked myself is whether the SPL can succeed in creating a pull-effect, which means that the SPL as a league becomes so attractive that it offers more than money to European players and provides them with a variety of incentives to go there.

But now it is a massive shift of money from the SPL to the leagues in Europe, which also means that a club like Liverpool (if they had sold Salah for €175m) could also offer competitive contracts to top players afterwards with that money.

If the SPL can get to a point where the league becomes attractive enough for players to go there and money is only one of many reasons, then it could become a problem. But I don't think they'll get there and as long as that is the situation, the clubs from Europe rake in those transfer fees and can offer more lucrative contracts themselves. The biggest danger is when players become free agents. That's when Europe can barely compete with offers from the SPL.

[Docnaster]

The sudden and recent emergence of Saudi Arabia Pro League in the timeline of football in the world is becoming a problem to the European football clubs.No one thought that it will happen this way. We would have thought that it will take Saudi Arabia more than 10 years to be the standard d that that they are now, but the presence of Ronaldo made everything happen quick. You can see that some coaches from the European side are now complaining about the transfer window of Saudi Arabia because they are used to snatching good players from the European side. This is a problem.

[Smartvirus]

Nope, it's not really a problem.

Not all football fans are want to watch specific player they fan especially the league is using a language that they not understand. As long as Ballon d'Or is rewarded to top league and both UEFA Champions with Europa league are popular, nothing should be worried.

The European countries must be worried if AFC Champions league is more popular than UEFA Champions league.

This is apparently the case at the moment.
Still, with the aim of Saudi Arabia trying to develop there leagues starting with getting to host the World Cup and now, actively participating in the transfer seasons to get not just players that are close to hanging their boots but, players that are still within there prime, you could say they are getting somewhere but, not one without challenge.

The development and promotions to the  European football is much more than the Saudi side could ever hope for at the time and the many history the European side have got on its fans, it would be difficult to have few transfers on elite players to change that.
A lot of barriers still exists within the Saudi culture and that wouldn’t do much to compete favorably with the European side. Europe will still be kicking at the games for a long time to come.

[slapper]

Nope, it's not really a problem.

Not all football fans are want to watch specific player they fan especially the league is using a language that they not understand. As long as Ballon d'Or is rewarded to top league and both UEFA Champions with Europa league are popular, nothing should be worried.

The European countries must be worried if AFC Champions league is more popular than UEFA Champions league.

Language is no criteria here as they could easily contract commentators speaking whatever language is sufficiently popular and in demand. That's not the point.

A question I have asked myself is whether the SPL can succeed in creating a pull-effect, which means that the SPL as a league becomes so attractive that it offers more than money to European players and provides them with a variety of incentives to go there.

But now it is a massive shift of money from the SPL to the leagues in Europe, which also means that a club like Liverpool (if they had sold Salah for €175m) could also offer competitive contracts to top players afterwards with that money.

If the SPL can get to a point where the league becomes attractive enough for players to go there and money is only one of many reasons, then it could become a problem. But I don't think they'll get there and as long as that is the situation, the clubs from Europe rake in those transfer fees and can offer more lucrative contracts themselves. The biggest danger is when players become free agents. That's when Europe can barely compete with offers from the SPL.

Language isn't an issue. I think your claim is missing some key points. Isn't a league's appeal its competitiveness, cultural worth, and history? Take the Bundesliga, La Liga, or Premier League. Not just because they made money did they gain good reputations. The SPL is young in this regard

Liverpool may sell Salah and utilise the proceeds to enhance the team. Though, since European teams consistently offer competitive contracts using SPL money, aren't they always attempting to catch up? What about free agency? The SPL may flaunt its wealth, but football is about passion, history, and supporters. The SPL's extravagant offers may be meaningless if these elements remain established in Europe

[dezoel]

We think that what the clubs in the Saudi league are doing seems like a waste of money. It looks wasteful, but not for the owners of the clubs in the Saudi league. Moreover, many of the owners of the Saudi league clubs are very rich, considering they have many sources of income. Money will mean nothing to them.

It's not a waste for them. Their government gave a massive budget for the sports only to make their leagues international standard because they are planning to host the Football world cup. To do that, they need star players so their country get more attention from all over the worlds. They even changed their country rules for some specific players.

People in Arabs cannot live with girlfriend without getting married. But Saudi Arabia allowed Cristiano Ronaldo and they will allow many more players. Those are the exceptions they are making for those players.

It's obviously not a waste for them since it can boost their economy greatly if they can host the Football World Cup there, and they get sponsors from all around the world if they have more star players than they already have. Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. are already among the big names they have and I'm pretty sure that a lot more will come in the future, as you said, these star players also bring millions of fans along with them when they transfer there.

We can already see that the leagues in Saudi Arabia have started getting more and more attention worldwide just because of the star players that they have got lately, and we will see that attention increasing over time, and leagues in Europe are losing viewership all because of this.

[mv1986]

...

Language isn't an issue. I think your claim is missing some key points. Isn't a league's appeal its competitiveness, cultural worth, and history? Take the Bundesliga, La Liga, or Premier League. Not just because they made money did they gain good reputations. The SPL is young in this regard

Liverpool may sell Salah and utilise the proceeds to enhance the team. Though, since European teams consistently offer competitive contracts using SPL money, aren't they always attempting to catch up? What about free agency? The SPL may flaunt its wealth, but football is about passion, history, and supporters. The SPL's extravagant offers may be meaningless if these elements remain established in Europe

We have essentially said the same thing and what you mentioned comes on top of it. I was only focussing on the financial aspect for the moment, but I implied that there is more than money which the SPL has to offer and that this is not the case as of now.

If the SPL can get to a point where the league becomes attractive enough for players to go there and money is only one of many reasons...

As of today there is really no reason for 99% of the players to go to the SPL except for the money they are offered.

But now it is a massive shift of money from the SPL to the leagues in Europe, which also means that a club like Liverpool (if they had sold Salah for €175m) could also offer competitive contracts to top players afterwards with that money.

Here I pointed out what you brought up as well.

This is why the SPL will not be a problem for quite a while, if a problem means that literally all the great talents don't even start their career in Europe and Europe is running out of high quality players.

Competitiveness, cultural worth and history belong into the list of my first quote when I was talking about "many reasons".

But I would still not underestimate their financial initiative if they decide to take that to the next level not for 2 or 3 years, but for 10 to 15 years. This could shift a lot besides the quality of single clubs in the SPL. They could purchase broadcasting rights etc. I guess? I am not sure how all this contracting works around the world and how far one could get with maybe 100 billion USD, buying players, managers, but also digital infrastructure and whatever else would make sense. 

[Unknown01]

It's obviously not a waste for them since it can boost their economy greatly if they can host the Football World Cup there, and they get sponsors from all around the world if they have more star players than they already have. Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. are already among the big names they have and I'm pretty sure that a lot more will come in the future, as you said, these star players also bring millions of fans along with them when they transfer there.

We can already see that the leagues in Saudi Arabia have started getting more and more attention worldwide just because of the star players that they have got lately, and we will see that attention increasing over time, and leagues in Europe are losing viewership all because of this.

The money that is invested there to get these superstars, they will never be able to earn the same amount again. At least not in the next 5-10 years and the question I ask myself is how long they are willing to throw away so much money without making any money. The Saudis will certainly not run out of money, but they are currently burning a lot.