In the space of 1 transfer window, the Saudi League has more stars than the PL… is it a symptom of City being allowed to freely cheat?

[Remember the geese]

ASM is patchy but electric. He’d walk into this Utd team when fit

He plays in Rashford's position.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

He plays in Rashford's position.

It’s a hypothetical. We’re talking about the profile of players.

 

[Remember the geese]

It’s a hypothetical. We’re talking about the profile of players.

Ok. I still don't understand how he would walk into our side, considering he isn't half the player Rashford is.

 

[Ekeke]

Does it? I see like 3 teams with some very well known players. And then 1 has Jordan Henderson.

I think the premier league is comfortably still ahead of that. However a year from now that could change

 

[Stactix]

Very much disagree.

They’re both duds. ASM is patchy but electric. He’d walk into this Utd team when fit and is a level above both of them two.

You're having a mare dude.
Any player that goes to Saudi is a star player in your eyes.

How is ASM bigger than Sancho

 

[cafecillos]

If 2023 Iniesta were to join a PL team tomorrow, would the PL have one more "star" than it has today?

 

[FlawlessThaw]

Are you serious? Sancho and Antony are both higher profile players, with better careers, internationals for their respective countries. ASM was an expendable player for Newcastle. As if you don't know the caf, if you signed him the whining about buying an average player would beunbearable.

The most important point to why @Rhyme Animal is just spouting bollocks

 

[Rhyme Animal]

The most important point to why @Rhyme Animal is just spouting bollocks

You're having a mare dude.
Any player that goes to Saudi is a star player in your eyes.

How is ASM bigger than Sancho

I don’t think so. I’m fine having opinions that differ from the majority - and I’m also very confident (on this one topic…) that I’ll be proved right.

 

[Sly]

The most important point to why @Rhyme Animal is just spouting bollocks

So according to @Amadaeus Mudryk is Mbappe, and now according to @Rhyme Animal ASM is Messi. Someone hire these gents for United's scouting department ASAP.

 

[Stactix]

I don’t think so. I’m fine having opinions that differ from the majority - and I’m also very confident (on this one topic…) that I’ll be proved right.

I don't see it, if the Saudi's have a 50 year plan then yeah maybe but you're having to change the opinion of that Brazillian kid who grew up watching Real Madrid and Utd vs Liverpool, he wants to play in La Liga not fecking Saudi.

As I said before, until players go to Saudi for reasons other than money.. it's going to flop. The quality of the league is always going to suffer due to half the team playing needing to be local to that region. So we're not going to see a team of 11 all stars which means the quality won't be there for a long time.

Do you really think ASM/Neves chose Saudi over a top team? I can understand your opinion if Real Madrid, City or Utd were in for these players. Made a bid but they rejected these teams for Saudi.. but that wasn't the case.
Just like Ronaldo/Neymar, no one wanted to pay their wages, so were forced to go to Saudi or MLS.

There are dozens of better players than Neves/ASM of those in the Prem.. so your statement that Saudi has more stars than the Prem is laughable tbh.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

As I said, we’ll see.

They are buying the biggest names in World football. The ages of their best players are getting younger. And they are already announcing that they want in the CL. They will get it. They will do whatever necessary to get in.

City haven’t been stopped or even halted by FFP - why should anyone else be?

People need to realise that UEFA want the biggest names in the CL and also that money talks.

Within 2 years they’ll be in the CL and will likely have the best players on Earth still in their prime.

It’s a Brave New (football) World.

These Saudi clubs are paying their new players 3x4 times what the top European clubs would pay them, the moment they stop doing this then none of these players are going there, and to progress they are going to have to fill their teams with top players, all on massive money.

Everyone knows what City do, but they've done it with the same sort of wage bill as most other top clubs, I just don't see how Al-Nassr and the rest get around a wage bill of £600 million +, even if they employ the 'best lawyers money can buy', etc.

 

[SirScholes]

The startlingly sudden rise of the Saudi league is unprecedented, and I’m kinda surprised more isn’t being made of it tbh.

When Ronaldo signed for the Saudi League, less than a year ago, he was mocked… now, in literally one window, the Saudi League has more star players than the PL - with the PL also losing Kane.

From a marketing POV, this is like a fecking nuclear strike on the PL.

I can’t help but see a correlation between City being allowed to cheat for a decade and thus render the PL a one team league, culminating in their treble and the very same Summer, the PL losing so many of its stars to a league that was less than a year ago viewed a complete joke.

I feel that City being allowed to blatantly and vigorously cheat with absolutely no consequence has subtly but chronically undermined the PL, it’s competitiveness, and thus it’s standing.

I also think that them finally winning the CL - again with no ramifications for their cheating - has slightly devalued that competition also.

Of course there are other factors, but the fact that the PL is suddenly losing so many of its players directly in sequence with City’s absolute dominance is not a coincidence imo.

A year ago, people thought the Saudi League’s attempt at dominance was similar to the Chinese League’s attempt - now it is being viewed very differently.

Will it succeed in knocking the PL off its perch? Or… a more dubious question… has it already done so?

And is the PL to blame for this having sat by idly, obviously paid off, and allowed a corrupt team to blatantly cheat for an entire decade?

Haha no it’s a joke league
Won’t be allowed to enter proper competitions and will fade away
Atleast it stops us signing money greedy players

 

[Rapsinfour]

It is kind of funny reading this thread. Football players are moving there only for money. As if Brazilian & African players have been coming to Europe for the love of football and not money ( all the while suffering horrific racist abuse in some situations).

Also, it is interesting to have an argument as to which league has more stars. I mean can you say the PL has any stars? Yes, players like Rashfoal, Sterling, Saka are better than almost all of the players in saudi league, but to me these players are not stars. For me, there are only 2 stars in this league Haaland and Salah (maybe KDB). To me, there is a distinction between how good a football player vs. How big of a star they are. For example, KDB >>>Pogba as a footballer, but I would argue Pogba is a bigger Star. You can legitimately make an argument Beckham has been a bigger star than Messi. To me, star means brand name. Guys like Beckham are superstars, where even non-sports people know who they are. Stars are a level below that.

I feel that people who are mentioning China are ignoring the fact that they never had stars, much less superstars. China just offered obscene wages. Saudi is actually trying to build a brand using the brand name of these players ( much like Messi and MLs).

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Mane, Mahrez, Neymar, Benzema and Ronaldo are a solid bunch. Then you've got guys like ASM Firmino as well. Ofcourse, it's a non serious league and not going to match any of the top leagues for a long long time but it's done very well to grab a lot of big stars, whether past it or not.

7-8 stars in a league out of which many are past it and all don’t prioritise their football the highest, doesn’t mean much. Good PR but it means little otherwise unless it’s a consistent thing that happens over the course of 5-7 years.

 

[FrankFoot]

At the latest from next season or the season after next, the inhibition threshold to switch to Saudi Arabia will fall. And the argument "retirement league" or "no sporting challenge" no longer counts.

An example of this is Veige. He did everything right, not only financially, but also in terms of sport.
You should only look at the squad + coaches with whom he will play in the future. The sporting challenge would also be higher than in Napoli, for example.
It's easier to become champions with Napoli than to win the title in Saudi Arabia with al-Ahli.

Sorry, but that's is lot of BS.

It's easier to become champions in Saudi Arabia than to win the Scottish league with St.Mirren.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

It is kind of funny reading this thread. Football players are moving there only for money. As if Brazilian & African players have been coming to Europe for the love of football and not money ( all the while suffering horrific racist abuse in some situations).

Also, it is interesting to have an argument as to which league has more stars. I mean can you say the PL has any stars? Yes, players like Rashfoal, Sterling, Saka are better than almost all of the players in saudi league, but to me these players are not stars. For me, there are only 2 stars in this league Haaland and Salah (maybe KDB). To me, there is a distinction between how good a football player vs. How big of a star they are. For example, KDB >>>Pogba as a footballer, but I would argue Pogba is a bigger Star. You can legitimately make an argument Beckham has been a bigger star than Messi. To me, star means brand name. Guys like Beckham are superstars, where even non-sports people know who they are. Stars are a level below that.

I feel that people who are mentioning China are ignoring the fact that they never had stars, much less superstars. China just offered obscene wages. Saudi is actually trying to build a brand using the brand name of these players ( much like Messi and MLs).

Yeah, this was my point. It was a point about branding and the knock on effect of it in coming years.

I was never claiming that the SPL is currently stronger than the PL.