Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admits the Saudi Pro League has shaken up the transfer market.
Recall that City have just sold Riyad Mahrez to A-Ahli.
Guardiola said: “It is no longer about a threat – now it is a reality.
“Saudi Arabia wants to create a strong league and so far they have proven that they are capable of doing it.
“The Premier League spends more money than other leagues because the organisation is better and because the TV money is bigger.
“I don’t know how long the Saudi Arabian league can last under the current pressure, but the reality is that the players want to take up the challenge and play in the league.
“Saudi Arabia has changed the market. A few months ago, when Cristiano was the only one who went there, nobody thought that many top, top players would do the same.
“In the future it will only become more, and therefore the clubs must be very aware of what is happening right now
3 Comments
The question is, are they not part of fifa? Because it seems fifa financial rules dnt affect them at all. Habba
I love pep for a reason, he even acknowledge the fact cr7 influence the movement of top players to the Saudi league unlike those Barca and some people debunking the obvious fact.
It seems the Saudis want to be in direct competition with the English Premier league in particular. This is not a coincidence.
For years now, there has been significant Saudi presence in the EPL. They own several big clubs. They have numerous sponsorship deals. So they’ve been understudying the English for quite a while. Perhaps they now believe they are ready to set up their own shop.
What better way to attract global attention than to use money to entice the world’s best to come over and strut their stuff in your league? The players they signed will attract interest from all over the globe. The Saudis will televise their matches globally, and viewers will have the option of listening to commentaries in any of the world’s major languages.
The Saudis already have the Arab market in their pocket. They will compete for market share around the rest of the globe, and they have plenty of money at their disposal for this purpose.