As the summer transfer window comes up over the horizon, it’s a safe enough bet that the Saudi Pro League will be major players in the marketplace.
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Five years ago, the emerging league wouldn’t have concerned any European clubs or their players, but the sheer amount of money that they have available to throw at the very best players that the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue Un, Serie A and the Bundesliga have to offer means that everyone will sit up and take notice.
Despite some big names having moved to the Middle East, most notably Cristiano Ronaldo, the league is still taking time to get a real foothold.
Stan Collymore doesn’t believe the Saudi Pro League will ever be relevant
With one eye on the 2030 World Cup, there’s a clear move from the Gulf state to get all eyes on the Pro League, but that will require more high profile players to drop what they’re doing in Europe and move to a much less competitive environment.
CaughtOffside columnist, Stan Collymore, just doesn’t see it happening.
“I’m 50 and I can’t ever see in my lifetime that the Saudi Pro League will be thought of as a top five global league and the reasons are really quite simple. England, Spain, Italy, France, Germany… 100 plus year-old leagues, legacy leagues that really mean something,” he said for his exclusive column.
“Secondly, all those leagues are very rich in their own right. Companies aren’t bailing on the Premier League or La Liga to go and sponsor the Saudi League, which will be propped up by Saudi money from Saudi companies.
“And thirdly, dare I say the culture that you’ve seen. Muslim players go out there because obviously it’s something they know, but you’ve also seen players that go out there, dip their toe in and are back in no time at all. Likewise, managers. Nuno Espirito Santo, Jordan Henderson…. So for me, I just think it’s going to continue being a gimmick.
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s praise, Stan Collymore says the Saudi Pro League is a gimmick
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Source link : https://www.caughtoffside.com/2024/05/31/collymore-mercenary-saudi-pro-league/
Author : Jason Pettigrove
Publish date : 2024-05-31 10:30:00
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