Mizgan Masani
Erik ten Hag isn’t buying the fact that Saudi Arabia transfer spending will affect the Premier League
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is not worried about crazy spending by Saudi Arabia clubs this summer.
The Dutchman is adamant about the fact that the Premier League remains one of the top priority places for elite players to come.
Saudi clubs have made interesting signings in this window so far. One of their clubs Al-Hilal tried to sign Kylian Mbappe for a world-record fee of £259m. The French superstar has since rejected that offer outright.
Here’s what ten Hag said when asked about the impact of Saudi joining the European market to shop for players (h/t Independent):
“I think in Europe it has an effect because there is some money over there and it will attract players. But I don’t see it in this moment as a problem for the Premier League because the Premier League is the league where the big players want to play.
“That is not in competition with a league like America or Saudi Arabia.”
This summer is not the first time Saudi started signing top European players. After mutually terminating his contract at United last November, Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr after the World Cup.
While people can say that Ronaldo is nearing the end of his career and Saudi are getting him to expand their market, some of the scalps of this summer are starting to raise some eyebrows.
The likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and more have gone there. Alex Telles left the Red Devils this summer to team up with Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.
Despite all of that, let’s be brutally honest that the standard of leagues in England and Europe is far superior to the ones in Saudi and the middle east.
A football player earns his stripe and recognition when doing well in this continent consistently. They can then sign for a club in Saudi or the USA during the twilight stage of their career to guarantee a large sum of income before their eventual retirement.
More Manchester United News
- PSG superstar Kylian Mabppe rejects Al Hilal offer amidst Manchester United interest
- Italian outfit Fiorentina have already received a bid from the English giants for Sofyan Amrabat
- Galatasaray ‘remain keen’ on Manchester United midfielder Fred
As of now, nothing to worry about. We have seen many examples of money not being enough to change the landscape of football.
