There's no point in bringing up anything economics related when you all handwave financial concerns with "BUT THE DIVERSIFICATION! THE BROADER GOAL!"
Saudi signing wave: What are the implications? Is it weakening the Premier League?
- Thread starter justsomebloke
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Following up on this valid point, is it possible that they aren't expecting any sort of tangible return on this expenditure?
Not only that they will then be governed by UEFA Rules which means FFP and FSP never going to happen, the new world club cup will be their interest and target to win one in 10 years ?
I'm well open to the idea that I'm wrong, but I can't help feeling that these endeavours are more a whim of caprice than a long term strategy of any kind and thus doomed to remain that - acts of caprice. We shall see I suppose.
The Fifa World club cup of 2025 is what the Saudi League will target, they already have one team in the competition with Al Hilal and will probably have a second with 4 year coefficient record, this first 32 team competition is actually starting to look interesting, 12 European teams which currently would be Chelsea, Madrid and Man City all qualified through wining last 3 CL plus the next 8 teams with the best Coefficient records from 2021-2024 seasons, this is currently Bayern, Liverpool, PSG, Man United, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Sevilla joined by Flamenco, River Plate, Ushua Reds. FIFA are paying teams £150-200m for participation. Arsenal probably need to win the CL to qualify but you can rest assured the two Saudi teams will be buying whoever they can to have a chance if wining this tournament which is highly unlikely with so much European strength and 6 highly talented South American teams as well.
I wouldn't talk of "bottomless pits" and suchlike, but I think it's reasonable to assume this isn't simply a money-making scheme that'll have its plug pulled if it doesn't provide a profit quickly.
I posted a link to a piece on Sky a bit further back - the points made there seem plausible. Ie, investing in building up a quality product for their home market, like they are doing in a different way with F1 and Golf. Also with an eye on tourism, and with the possibility of future revenue through TV rights etc in the wider region.
Yes but there is quite a big difference between having £25m (just guessing for Henderson’s bank balance) and then adding £100m to that inside three years (tax free remember)
Puts you in a whole different stratosphere.
I don’t blame him for taking it.
The Saudis are a different animal to China a few years back. They are as close as it gets to having an unlimited pot of money. Their overall goal is much bigger than football, too.
The Premier League will be fine, but the leagues around Europe will find things more difficult. More and more players and managers will make the jump, too.
We haven’t heard the last of the European Super League either.
The Premier League will be fine, but the leagues around Europe will find things more difficult. More and more players and managers will make the jump, too.
We haven’t heard the last of the European Super League either.
"Challanges" haha. They even spelled it Geordie-like.
I don’t see what the fuss is about. Yeah they’re spending money but they’re mostly paying big name have-beens and mid tier players who’ve realized they’re not making the elite tier in Europe.
Call me when they sign a top player in their prime or development stages. At least the Chinese league managed to get some big name players like Hulk and Oscar close to their prime ages.
Call me when they sign a top player in their prime or development stages. At least the Chinese league managed to get some big name players like Hulk and Oscar close to their prime ages.
There is a difference. Doesn’t mean it’s not greedy and going against his previously stated principles.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Was just reading the Henderson thread and I hadn’t realised he was so vocal about the rainbow armband and everything that represents.
Guess he has his price for those principles and it’s been met.
Puts a different slant on the move you are right.
You mean the European Saudi Super League.
There's only four teams with the funding, so even if they drop the foreign players cap, the overall quality of the league will still be fairly naff. It won't help the development of Saudi players, so the national team won't benefit.
They aren't getting a spot in UEFA, regardless of the speculation in here, so there's no chance of Champions League football.
The only remotely feasible suggestion I've seen is that they may look for inclusion in, or to set up, a super league project.
In all likelihood, they're just another pre-retirement destination for players looking for one last pay day, and at most we'll continue to see some high-profile names spending a season or two there at the end of their careers, and maybe a few younger players who haven't been picked up by an elite-level club exchanging mid-table Premier League for a bumper wage in Saudi Arabia.
I don't know how anyone can see the response to the ESL in the last years and think "for this to work all you need is to add Saudi Arabia to the mix."
Going for Osimhen now. Reported offering him £1M per week, he’d be insane not to take that
Honestly that would be difficult to ignore.
Wow, these guys are really throwing the cash about. I thought they’d be a place for players in their twilight years to go, but they’re going to turn some heads with the sums of money they’re prepared to pay.
Well, he'd tie himself to what is still a third rate league in the peak of his career, just when he's taking off into superstardom. There might be a broader view to take here.
£1m of the King's finest, weekly - and you're talking about "third rate league in the peak of his career" and "superstardom"? To a guy that sold bottled water in traffic to make ends meet?
shiiiiiiitttttttttt
The offers for Osinhem and Mbappe are only a sign of what’s coming in the next couple of years.
Far from just being a destination for players approaching their retirement, Saudi are going to be shopping for the best talent across Europe and South America.
They’ve hardly started dipping into the pot of gold, set aside for this project.
It’s going to be very hard to pass up the ginormous personal terms being offered, even for players in their early and mid twenties, who are already, or could end up playing for the top teams in Europe.
After all said and done, a footballers career is quite a short period in their early life (assuming they live to a decent age).
They need to consider carefully, where they’ll be, financially, at the end of it.
Younger star players could go there for just a couple of years and still have years left to be playing a the top level in Europe afterwards.
Far from just being a destination for players approaching their retirement, Saudi are going to be shopping for the best talent across Europe and South America.
They’ve hardly started dipping into the pot of gold, set aside for this project.
It’s going to be very hard to pass up the ginormous personal terms being offered, even for players in their early and mid twenties, who are already, or could end up playing for the top teams in Europe.
After all said and done, a footballers career is quite a short period in their early life (assuming they live to a decent age).
They need to consider carefully, where they’ll be, financially, at the end of it.
Younger star players could go there for just a couple of years and still have years left to be playing a the top level in Europe afterwards.
He'll make more money than he'll ever spend wherever he plays. Assuming that it's a given to go for the biggest short tern paycheck is just naive.
fecking hell - The "He embodies our D N A" part had me spill my tea. It's sort of spot on.
Had to take a look at some of the typos in there too haha.
"You never walk alon"
"Sucess"
"Challanges"
I didn’t assume anything. I said he’d be insane to pass up on that, then elaborated on why I think so considering his background and what I’ve heard him say - this all whilst posting from my POV and based on what I’d do.
Having a definitive take on the amount of money he’ll make/spend by assuming his spending habits/responsibilities/plans/aspirations with his riches is what strikes me as naive though.
Bet Gareth Bale wishes he'd postponed his retirement. Lovely courses there, I'd say.
Nobody's POV on the 'caf is comparable to Osimhen's, though. Unless you went from selling bottles of water on the streets of Lagos to becoming a global megastar footballer who has lofty ambitions. It's a pretty unique situation. He could turn it down, get a new bumper contract at Napoli, win another Scudetto and get a 500k a week move next summer to one of the elite clubs. He could very feasibly have it all.
I don't have a definitive take. I'm just saying it's not necessarily a no-brainer to take that transfer.
Osimhen is just 24 yrs old, 25 in December.
He could go to Saudi for 3 years and return to Europe at 27 yrs old and still get a top notch contract somewhere.
He could go to Saudi for 3 years and return to Europe at 27 yrs old and still get a top notch contract somewhere.
I don't think his reputation is that high.
He's literally one of the most sought after CFs in world football?
All plausible for sure.
Exactly.
The hold the CL anthem has over some fans, Jesus.
I don't think his reputation is extensive enough to afford a 3-year vacation in Saudi league, he's only been considered top level for one season.
The thread about him that started a year ago has mixed opinions in the beginning (early 2022). It's really only after this last season with Napoli that it shifts.
Last edited:
Proven CFs are scarce in Europe. Unless there's a glut of them in 3 years he'll be fine if he takes the payday and comes to Europe after.
Hojlund is less proven than Osimhen and we're splurging money on him.
Its disgusting the amount of money they are offering for fecking football players. Abhorrent
Cant blame players for giving in to the greed but the salaries are sickening
Cant blame players for giving in to the greed but the salaries are sickening
And that's the reputation that will stay with him. Let's say he's coming back to Europe after 3 years there now, really no club is going to read into his form in the Saudi league that much - only think in my opinion that can change that perception is injuries. The difference is his reputation plateaus in Saudi, he can't improve it in Saudi versus if he moved to Real, as an example, and had another excellent season he could improve it.
This is without factoring in the very real possibility that in 3 years time, people might be talking about the Saudi league as a much more difficult league to win with 4 elite teams.
Europe salaries have been sickening for a while. Saudi Arabia have just upped you in the sick stakes but that horse left the stable a long time ago