Other clubs' transfers

[Menace]

Do any of the channels within EU even show the saudi matches?

[TaylorJ_01]

15 hours ago, GeordieDazzler said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12437537/Nuno-Espirito-Santo-tells-Al-Ittihad-board-Karim-Benzema-does-NOT-suit-style-turning-Frenchmans-captaincy-request.html

 

second Saudi transfer going wrong 

 

This one is quite weird really. For all I agree with players needing to fit a style, this guy won Ballon d'Or last year and you've been handed him as striker in a diddy league  I wouldn't be complaining.

[KaKa]

23 minutes ago, Nobody said:

Nah

 

Yah 

[Menace]

 

Fair enough.

[GeordieDazzler]

22 minutes ago, Menace said:

Do any of the channels within EU even show the saudi matches?

Dazn just got the rights to go along with the uncompetitive boxing matches they show.

 

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by GeordieDazzler

[The Prophet]

It's quite funny West Ham has become the last port in the storm. Paqueta didn't get his move last summer, I guess West Ham will do. Same for Kudus now. It doesn't bode well for them sticking around.

 

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by The Prophet

[leffe186]

2 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

It's quite funny West Ham has become the last port in the storm. Paqueta didn't get his move last summer, I guess West Ham will do. Same for Kudus now. It doesn't bode well for them sticking around.

Nope. Kudus to West Ham though.

[Doctor Zaius]

The Saudi league teams are only allowed 8 foreign players each. Thatll have to change if they want to make bigger progress. 

 

If im at a loose end ill happily watch some Serie A or La Liga, even stretching to Bundesliga, Ligue 1, SPL or less leagues. Unless i've got a specific reason to, I can guarantee that ill never sit and watch a Saudi league game like. Ill never have an interest in it because its so artificial. 

[The College Dropout]

2 hours ago, Whitley mag said:

They’re also the type of signings the European elite will be more concerned with long term. 
 

They’re quite happy to receive inflated fees for ageing stars they want off the books, but if the Saudis start hoovering up young stars the outcry will really start.

 

I think it’s a bigger threat to midtable Prem teams and the likes of Sevilla. The elite is always the elite. If Real wanted the lad he would be there.  These are the type of ‘coup’ signings West Ham would love to make. 

[SUPERTOON]

 

[Disco]

Have I lost my mind? What the fuck is going on?

[TRon]

2 hours ago, GeordieDazzler said:

Maybe in the Middle East. As I’ve discussed on here before this is all impart a big tourist attraction to other Muslim nations. 
 

Outside curiosity no one in the west will give a shit.

 

I agree, not many in the west will watch it, actually I don't even watch football outside of England tbh. But the world is a big place, not everyone lives in the west, maybe the Saudi league will become popular in the east.

[TRon]

2 hours ago, KaKa said:

Really don't like the West Ham move for Kudus. He'll do well there because he has a lot of fight in him and so Moyes will love him.

 

From a more technical point of view though, he should have gone to Brighton. Think he becomes a major star there quickly and probably moves again within a year or two to almost any top club of his choice.

 

It's fucking rank, almost annoys me as much as Paqueta going to West Ham last season. Skilful players are basically putting their careers on hold signing for a Moyes team. I hope the wage packet compensates well enough.

[TheBrownBottle]

KSA’s league would still need to justify the expenditure in some way or form.  Paying 10x what European clubs will play to persuade a player to sign isn’t sustainable, as the revenue streams won’t ever exist to meet that.  So it becomes a case of how long the KSA govt wants to prop this up.  Maybe that is forever; I doubt it, though. 

[Ben]

 

[Pixelphish]

Transfer request before the weekend please.

[Nobody]

2 hours ago, KaKa said:

 

Yah 

I've yet to hear a single person in Sweden having watched one minute of any game in Saudiarabia, not show any interest in doing so. 

[leffe186]

We have so many players available for the Saudis

[Yorkie]

I think the Saudi Pro-League stands a chance of gaining a meaningful European audience if some of their teams start competing in UEFA competitions. I'd wager that, as it stands, none of the teams mean anything to the vast majority of people - certainly in terms of the British audience. As long as that's the case, it'll never gain sustainable interest, regardless of which players turn up there. I'd even argue that the casual observer would have difficulty telling teams apart given most of them start 'Al-' and all of the squads seem to have the same mix; i.e. predominantly Saudi with a few South American unknowns and a few household names doing the payday thing.

 

My assumption is that UEFA would resist any attempts from Saudi to enter the UCL or Europa competitions, but - then again - they could consider an 'enemies closer' approach. Rather than keep them at arms length whilst there's a growing perception that the Saudi Pro League is on the up; let them in, have them get routinely battered by Croatian sides and Swedish sides, thereby emphasising the hierarchy. 

 

Should be interesting over the next few years, whatever happens, but there definitely needs to be more to their strategy then just player recruitment. If it wasn't Saudi I'd be wishing them all the luck in the world; a proper agitator to get UEFA sweating could breed some positive outcomes, who knows?

[kocunar]

4 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

have them get routinely battered by Croatian sides and Swedish sides

As a Croatian, this wouldn't happen

[r0cafella]

8 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

I think the Saudi Pro-League stands a chance of gaining a meaningful European audience if some of their teams start competing in UEFA competitions. I'd wager that, as it stands, none of the teams mean anything to the vast majority of people - certainly in terms of the British audience. As long as that's the case, it'll never gain sustainable interest, regardless of which players turn up there. I'd even argue that the casual observer would have difficulty telling teams apart given most of them start 'Al-' and all of the squads seem to have the same mix; i.e. predominantly Saudi with a few South American unknowns and a few household names doing the payday thing.

 

My assumption is that UEFA would resist any attempts from Saudi to enter the UCL or Europa competitions, but - then again - they could consider an 'enemies closer' approach. Rather than keep them at arms length whilst there's a growing perception that the Saudi Pro League is on the up; let them in, have them get routinely battered by Croatian sides and Swedish sides, thereby emphasising the hierarchy. 

 

Should be interesting over the next few years, whatever happens, but there definitely needs to be more to their strategy then just player recruitment. If it wasn't Saudi I'd be wishing them all the luck in the world; a proper agitator to get UEFA sweating could breed some positive outcomes, who knows?

Even if they could compete in Europe they would have to abide by FFP. these clubs are zero revenue. 

[Yorkie]

Just now, kocunar said:

5 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

have them get routinely battered by Croatian sides and Swedish sides

As a Croatian, this wouldn't happen

 

 Maybe that's a bad example. Just Dinamo Zagreb.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I mean, they aren’t in Europe. Why should they compete in European competition? 

[GEFAFWISP]

1 minute ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

I mean, they aren’t in Europe. Why should they compete in European competition? 

Israel isn't either.

[Yorkie]

Just now, AyeDubbleYoo said:

I mean, they aren’t in Europe. Why should they compete in European competition? 

 

I'm not saying they should, I'm just saying I think that's what it would take for them to have a fighting chance of gaining a sustainable European audience. 

 

@r0cafella makes a good point about why it probably can't happen anyway.