Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Saudi football spending takes youthful turn as big names depart

Colombian player Jhon Duran, aged 21, is moving from UK Premier League club Aston Villa to Saudi club Al Nassr Mark Pain/Alamy via Reuters
Colombian player Jhon Duran, aged 21, is moving from English Premier League club Aston Villa to Saudi club Al Nassr
  • Major deals put league on map
  • Focus on emerging talent
  • Half of new signings under 23

It says much for the evolution of football in Saudi Arabia that the main talking points of the winter transfer-window were of individuals leaving the league rather than multi-million dollar signings.

The majority of headlines in the last week of January were devoted to the departures of Brazilian forward Neymar, effectively having his contract ripped up by Al Hilal, and of former Liverpool and England legend Steven Gerrard vacating the manager’s position at Al-Ettifaq by “mutual consent”.

The $78 million capture by Al Nassr of 21-year-old Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran on Friday, the most expensive signing of the window by any Saudi Pro League (SPL) club, was relatively low-key news by the kingdom’s standards.

Given previous signings of star players Cristiano Ronaldo (he will be 40 on Wednesday), Karim Benzema (37), Robert Firmino (33), Kalidou Koulibaly (33) and Fabinho (31), the move by the Colombian Duran is a youthful addition to the league.

“Saudi Arabian football needs to occupy itself less with players and coaches of former glory and more with talent that will help to boost and sustain the country’s football ambitions,” Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at Skema Business School in France, tells AGBI.

The kingdom’s football ambitions were rewarded to the extent that it was chosen in December to host the 2034 World Cup.

“The first phase of investment into the SPL appeared geared towards putting the league on the map by attracting global stars and household names to generate interest from both Saudi and international fans,” says Ben Gordon, associate partner at Albright Stonebridge Group.

“You could argue that they have achieved that, as most global soccer/football fans are now aware of the SPL.”

Football and sport in general remain a top investment priority, but Saudi Arabia is maintaining a tough balancing act between that and other Vision 2030 projects while oil prices fluctuate.

The country’s budget for 2025 forecast a $26.9 billion deficit prompting the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in October to lower its economic growth outlook for Saudi Arabia from 4.6 percent to 3.3 percent.

Gordon says the changing dynamics among Saudi clubs is a reflection of a shift in priorities and of “budget realities”.

“It makes sense that the SPL targeted younger players who typically command lower fees in this transfer window,” he says.

Despite headlines saying that Saudi Arabia was offering €300 million ($309 million) for Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, with reports claiming the Brazilian would land a €1 billion contract, spending in January was more measured than in previous years.

There were over 50 incoming transfers completed by Saudi clubs in the most recent window, according to data from transfermarkt.com, with more than half of them aged 23 or under. A rough calculation gives the average age of the transferred players at just short of 24. 

At 35, the oldest player to move was Syrian centre forward Omar Al-Somah who switched from Kuwaiti club Al Arabi to Al Orobah on a free transfer.

In comparison, the average age of players signed by English Premier League clubs over the past month was a little under 23. The oldest was 38-year-old goalkeeper Wayne Hennessy who went to Nottingham Forest.

“Identifying, selecting and recruiting the right talent clearly needs to be a priority; then ensuring that this talent is appropriately utilised and managed is crucial – especially in generating a positive net return on talent investment,” says Chadwick.