Second only to the Premier League - Saudi Pro League sets new transfer benchmarks

Although Al-Ittihad ultimately failed in their record bid to sign Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, the transfer window was truly historic for the Saudi Pro League. The Athletic reported on Sep. 7, which was the deadline day for clubs based in Saudi Arabia, that Al-Ittihad had made a verbal proposal worth up to €175m for Liverpool’s Egyptian star.  That deal would have pushed this summer’s expenditures for SPL clubs past the €1bn mark. 

But even without signing Salah, the Saudi Pro League ranks second with €953m in transfer fees paid for 287 players. Only the Premier League (€2.8 billion) spent more money than the Saudi Pro League, which ranks ahead of Ligue 1 (€899m), Serie A (€854m), the Bundesliga (€748m) and LaLiga (€440m). The Saudi Pro League also had the second largest deficit (-€891m) behind the Premier League (-€1.2bn). 

Four Saudi Pro League clubs were also among the biggest spenders in the summer transfer window (overview). Al-Hilal was second with €353m paid for 16 new players. Al-Ahli was eighth with €197m paid for in transfer fees for 20 players and Al-Nassr ranked tenth with €165m spent on transfer fees for 15 players. Finally, there is Al-Ittihad, which ranks 18th after spending €119m on 22 players this summer. 

Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo & Co.: Does the Saudi Pro League endanger FFP? 

One of those signings was Brazilian superstar Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain. Al-Hilal paid €90m to sign the 31-year-old, making Neymar the seventh most expensive signing of the summer transfer window. Other notable signings included Neymar’s Brazilian teammate Malcom for €60m from Zenit to Al-Hilal, Sadio Mané for €30m from Bayern to Al-Nassr, Fabinho for €46.7m from Liverpool to Al-Ittihad, and Jordan Henderson for €14m from Liverpool to Al-Ettifaq—just to name a few. 

But it wasn’t just older stars that headed to the Saudi Pro League. Highly talented Gabri Veiga left Celta Vigo in a deal worth €40m to join Al-Ahli. Only 21, Al-Ahli beat out Napoli to land the highly talented Spaniard. In fact, several players below their 30s opted to leave Europe to play on the Arabian Peninsula. The number one reason is the financial opportunities that go beyond the transfer fee. Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr on a free transfer that will earn him a reported salary of €200m per year. Fabrizio Romano reported that Karim Benzema will earn €200m a season after joining Al-Ittihad on a free deal from Real Madrid. Finally, sources have suggested that Mané doubled his Bayern salary after he joined Al-Nassr to around €40m. 

While there has been some concern that some European clubs have used high transfer fees received by SPL clubs to circumnavigate FFP rules, it is those staggering salaries that have some leagues worried. One source has told Transfermarkt that leagues like the Bundesliga and LaLiga are worried that clubs with rich owners could put pressure on newly created FFP rules to compete with the high salaries paid by Saudi clubs. With that in mind, European leagues are monitoring the development, but decision-makers have pointed out that it remains to be seen whether Saudi Pro League will be sustainable or a flash in the pan, like the Chinese Super League a few years ago.