Saudi League chat.

[Wheeler Dealer]

Chelsea legend John Terry follows the crowd as first managerial post on verge of being announced

Chelsea legend John Terry is on the verge of taking up his first managerial post by joining up with Saudi side Al-Shabab FC.

www.teamtalk.com

Terry going Saudi is about as surprising as water being wet.

With a

 

[KILLA_SIN]

MSN

www.msn.com

 

[Yid121]

Liverpool surely should accept £200m for Salah if it's offered. Only 1 year left

 

[UncleBuck]

I find it amazing that Demarai Grey has gone over there and Everton only got £10m for him, always thought he was half decent.
Going over there at 27 though is certainly not a career move!

 

[muppetman]

I find it amazing that Demarai Grey has gone over there and Everton only got £10m for him, always thought he was half decent.
Going over there at 27 though is certainly not a career move!

From the Beeb "He scored nine goals in 67 Premier League appearances after arriving at Goodison in 2021."

He's just one of those invisible players - you know the name, but never really see them do much.

 

[Wig]

I would love it if Salah goes this window... just to rattle the Liverpool fans I know!

 

[easley91]

From the Beeb "He scored nine goals in 67 Premier League appearances after arriving at Goodison in 2021."

He's just one of those invisible players - you know the name, but never really see them do much.

I was shocked to read he only spent 2 years there. Felt like he was there for far longer..

 

[muppetman]

I was shocked to read he only spent 2 years there. Felt like he was there for far longer..

Still only 27.

 

[Marty]

I find it amazing that Demarai Grey has gone over there and Everton only got £10m for him, always thought he was half decent.
Going over there at 27 though is certainly not a career move!

He only joined them for £1,5m two years ago.

A player who has never commanded much in terms of fees for whatever reason.

 

[chas vs dave]

Chelsea legend John Terry follows the crowd as first managerial post on verge of being announced

Chelsea legend John Terry is on the verge of taking up his first managerial post by joining up with Saudi side Al-Shabab FC.

www.teamtalk.com

Terry going Saudi is about as surprising as water being wet.

Is adultery still punishable in Saudi?

 

[Frank Blank]

This press release just dropped.

• Saudi Pro League clubs spend US$957 million in record-breaking football transfer window
  • Saudi Pro League clubs’ gross spend in the 2023 summer transfer window was US$957 million
  • The league’s net transfer spend of US$907 million was significantly higher than other ‘big five’ leagues, second only to the Premier League’s net transfer spend (US$1.39 billion)
  • The Saudi Pro League acquired 94 overseas players including 37 from Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues. The highest number of acquisitions came from the Premier League at a gross value of US$312million
  • Almost half of the transfer fees received by Premier League clubs from overseas (US$698 million) came from Saudi Pro League clubs (US$312 million). Across the rest of Europe, receipts from Saudi Pro League clubs were US$148 million, US$122 million, U$116 million and US$32 million in Ligue 1, Serie A, La Liga and Bundesliga respectively.
• 
  
• Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 8 September 2023 – The 2023 summer transfer window saw Saudi Pro League clubs spend a record US$957 million, according to Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, resulting in a net spend of US$907 million, second only to the Premier League’s net transfer spend (US$1.39 billion). Gross transfer spend across Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues totaled US$6.10 billion in this summer’s window, an almost US$1.25 billion increase on last summer’s total (2022: US$4.85 billion). Gross spend increased compared to the previous summer in all the ‘big five’ leagues except La Liga.
• 
  Almost half of the transfer fees received by Premier League clubs from overseas (US$698 million) came from Saudi Pro League clubs. These transfer receipts (US$312 million) were concentrated among eight clubs, with four of these among the Premier League’s ‘big six’. Two Premier League clubs, Fulham and Liverpool, saw 100% of their transfer receipts come from Saudi Pro League clubs.
  Across the rest of Europe, receipts from Saudi Pro League clubs were at US$148 million, US$122 million, US$116 million and US$32 million in Ligue 1, Serie A, La Liga and Bundesliga respectively.
• 
  Izzy Wray, Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said, “The ambitious number of player acquisitions and the caliber of players signed by Saudi Pro League clubs demonstrate the Kingdom’s commitment to propelling the SPL to become a leading football league on the world-stage. This is still early days of what we can call phase one of the Saudi Pro League project, and the futuristic view is also reflected by the lowered average age of the league compared to last season.”
• 
  “This marks the first time since 2016 that another international league has outspent any of Europe’s ‘big five’ during a football transfer window, with new players bringing the promise of new fans and partners to strengthen the SPL’s prominence. European football continues to be the benchmark for the game globally, and the Saudi investment in the game will divert its focus towards the infrastructure, to elevate the level of Asian football.”
• 
  “The SPL spending is still at one third of the Premier League’s gross spend this summer, the focus of Saudi clubs will now be on securing the success of the league’s transformation journey and its financial sustainability. The development of the league will depend on growing the professionalization and governance of clubs, the development of young playing talent and attracting a new, international fanbase.”
  “The implementation of the Kingdom’s privatization program is likely to draw a wave of interest around the SPL, potentially fueling the current spending pattern for the windows to come. With the spending power of the SPL already surpassing some of Europe’s ‘big five’, it remains to be seen the impact this will have on the make-up of elite football for future generations.”
  
  – Ends –​

 

[Gassin's finest]

Is adultery still punishable in Saudi?

Only for the woman.

 

[Marty]

 

[Marty]

Neymar: Brazil international to undergo surgery after suffering anterior cruciate ligament injury

Brazil forward Neymar to have surgery after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee; the 31-year-old suffered injury while on international duty in Tuesdays 2-0 defeat to Uruguay; Neymars club Al Hilal did not say how long he is expected to be out for

www.skysports.com

So Neymar's injury is so bad he will miss the whole season and is a serious doubt for the Copa America next summer.

Obviously I don't wish that serious an injury on anyone but I do have a bit of schadenfreude towards the Saudis over this. Their second biggest attraction won't kick a ball for a year.

 

[Syn_13]

Neymar: Brazil international to undergo surgery after suffering anterior cruciate ligament injury

Brazil forward Neymar to have surgery after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee; the 31-year-old suffered injury while on international duty in Tuesdays 2-0 defeat to Uruguay; Neymars club Al Hilal did not say how long he is expected to be out for

www.skysports.com

So Neymar's injury is so bad he will miss the whole season and is a serious doubt for the Copa America next summer.

Obviously I don't wish that serious an injury on anyone but I do have a bit of schadenfreude towards the Saudis over this. Their second biggest attraction won't kick a ball for a year.

Weird player. So much talent, but nowhere near the likes of Messi and Ronaldo for me. He's been viewed as the number 3 for years but players like Kane, Lewandowski, Modric, Bale, Benzema and many more have been streets ahead of him. Overrated.

 

[Tucker]

Weird player. So much talent, but nowhere near the likes of Messi and Ronaldo for me. He's been viewed as the number 3 for years but players like Kane, Lewandowski, Modric, Bale, Benzema and many more have been streets ahead of him. Overrated.

Hugely overrated. I’ve never seen the fuss over him. He was pretty good with Suarez and Messi in that front 3 at Barca, but moving to a lesser league for money seemed like a waste of his talent and he seemed to stagnate after that.

 

[Rocksuperstar]

Weird player. So much talent, but nowhere near the likes of Messi and Ronaldo for me. He's been viewed as the number 3 for years but players like Kane, Lewandowski, Modric, Bale, Benzema and many more have been streets ahead of him. Overrated.

He lives in drama though, it follows him around like rain-clouds around Rob McKenna's lorry*. Everything he's done in football since he was basically a toddler has been in the spotlight and every step it turns into some telenovela episode. I couldn't tell you where he fits into it all or what he could potentially have become, he might as well be in the cast of Eldorado.

(*don't worry, if you get it you get it, if you don't then I don't care).

 

[Frozen_Waffles]

Weird player. So much talent, but nowhere near the likes of Messi and Ronaldo for me. He's been viewed as the number 3 for years but players like Kane, Lewandowski, Modric, Bale, Benzema and many more have been streets ahead of him. Overrated.

Nah, only if you name him in the same breath as the two best players of all time.

He has had the shit kicked out of him for over 10 years of a career, he's played for Barcelona and PSG and Messi (the world's best ever) aside he has been a star player.

Ask any Brazillian and he they will tell you he has been their best player and a leader for many years.

Yes, he may have followed the money, but talent wise he has been an exceptional player.

107 goals in 177 for Santos
68 in 123 for Barca
82 in 112 for PSG
79 in 128 for Brazil

That's prolific in 3 different countries. By the way Messi has 22 in 58 for PSG. I'm not for a minute saying he's better than Messi but no one is.

This for a winger/attacking midfielder.
336 goals, fucking overrated?

Every single game he has played he has been attacked by the opposition, if it weren't Ronaldo and Messi he'd get recognition he deserves, he actually does but not in England because he made the cardinal sin of not being Leo Messi and not playing in the PL.

Now his body is falling apart (no wonder considering the tackles) give him a break.

The lack of respect by people from England is a disgrace, a player worthy of respect in any era.

 

[cwy21]

Every single game he has played he has been attacked by the opposition,

The guy got a vertebra broken from a knee to the back in the damn World Cup.

 

[Marty]

Hugely overrated. I’ve never seen the fuss over him. He was pretty good with Suarez and Messi in that front 3 at Barca, but moving to a lesser league for money seemed like a waste of his talent and he seemed to stagnate after that.

I don't think he was overrated until he went to PSG. He was fantastic as a youth prospect at Santos, Brazil's shining light in 2014 where he was absolutely brilliant until he got his back broken by a Colombian thug, and the MSN years at Barcelona was probably the best attacking trio of the modern era. And even recently he did some brilliant things in the World Cup in Qatar, the goal against Croatia was incredible.

He made a bad career move (well, two now) that ruined people's perception of him and during his time at PSG he has gradually declined both for injury reasons and for lifestyle reasons. But he was obscenely talented and that's why defenders have always kicked the living daylights out of him wherever he's been.