Could the exodus of talent to Saudi play in our favour?

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Gerritforud

Gerritforud

It'll be reyt
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Seeing so many quality players being transferred to the Saudi League this summer got me pondering.
Many of them would have been in teams we will face this season, and the teams don't appear to be fully replacing the talent they've sold.
The Premier League as a whole seems to be losing talent to other leagues. I know I'm being silly hoping something out of our control works in our favour, but hope springs eternal as a Blade.
 

Geritforud said:
Seeing so many quality players being transferred to the Saudi League this summer got me pondering.
Many of them would have been in teams we will face this season, and the teams don't appear to be fully replacing the talent they've sold.
The Premier League as a whole seems to be losing talent to other leagues. I know I'm being silly hoping something out of our control works in our favour, but hope springs eternal as a Blade.
Click to expand...

As more top draw players all over the world leave for Saudi, it will weaken all the competition obviously, but the reality check will come with the euro super league, we know that hasn't gone anywhere and is still waiting in the wings..

If Saudi starts to de value the European leagues, the top 4 of every league will have no other chance than to break away and go alone, it's a money pit, you need to keep the stars for the TV revenue, the only way to fight it is to match the wages etc, so it'll get the green light this time.
 
Problem is the Saudi sides are paying so far over the odds for these players that you're just going to end up with a whole new influx of players in the same bracket or slightly lower by the time the window shakes out.
 
Ndiayewillalwaysloveyou said:
Good points made but most who've moved to Saudi are in their 30s wanting a last pay cheque. Players like Neves and Savic surprised me though.
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There is a clear shift from oil rich clubs doing the last payday thing. If the drain of players in their prime grows then there will be a void to fill. Whether it closes the gap at all from the filthy rich in the prem and the rest remains to be seen. It can't hurt us though.
 
Nightsweats said:
There is a clear shift from oil rich clubs doing the last payday thing. If the drain of players in their prime grows then there will be a void to fill. Whether it closes the gap at all from the filthy rich in the prem and the rest remains to be seen. It can't hurt us though.
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Chinese super league did similar other year but difference were they signed players in their prime if I remember. Mostly Brazilians though.

Oscar
Ramires
Hulk
Pelle
Willian
Witsel
Paulinho
Carrasco
Teixeria
 
Geritforud said:
Seeing so many quality players being transferred to the Saudi League this summer got me pondering.
Many of them would have been in teams we will face this season, and the teams don't appear to be fully replacing the talent they've sold.
The Premier League as a whole seems to be losing talent to other leagues. I know I'm being silly hoping something out of our control works in our favour, but hope springs eternal as a Blade.
Click to expand...
Until they clap eyes on Illiman. £££££££
 
Ndiayewillalwaysloveyou said:
Chinese super league did similar other year but difference were they signed players in their prime if I remember. Mostly Brazilians though.

Oscar
Ramires
Hulk
Pelle
Willian
Witsel
Paulinho
Carrasco
Teixeria
Click to expand...

It's amazing how that failed. They soon stopped pumping the money into football and those players mentioned got forgotten about as soon as they moved over there.
 
This is one reason why the academy is so important. I think the Saudi effect may linger and more top players move there. This will push prices up everywhere. Therefore u need a flow of home grown talent to bring into the first team who didnt cost a fee and who u can then sell on at some point for big money
 
Ndiayewillalwaysloveyou said:
Chinese super league did similar other year but difference were they signed players in their prime if I remember. Mostly Brazilians though.

Oscar
Ramires
Hulk
Pelle
Willian
Witsel
Paulinho
Carrasco
Teixeria
Click to expand...
Difference is the Chinese government stepped in and put a stop to it ,can’t see the Saudis doing the same as it’s essentially government money anyway
 
Geritforud said:
Seeing so many quality players being transferred to the Saudi League this summer got me pondering.
Many of them would have been in teams we will face this season, and the teams don't appear to be fully replacing the talent they've sold.
The Premier League as a whole seems to be losing talent to other leagues. I know I'm being silly hoping something out of our control works in our favour, but hope springs eternal as a Blade.
Click to expand...
If anything, i'd say it could work the opposite.

Fulham for example - getting ~£50m for Mitrovic. They can invest that wisely and strengthen.

Wolves too - they're prime for relegation, but with the £50m for Neves, gives them chance to strengthen in key areas.

Both of those players are massively over priced. If they were sold to PL, La Liga etc. neither would have received £50m for them
 
Berkshire Blade said:
No anything that inflates the market makes our money even less.
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Utterly rediculous what's happening in Saudi ! All these star players and no proper competition to play in
.Will be playing friendlys or maybe a game of tidlywinks perhapes that maybe more competitive..
They are spoiling everything sportwise with there megabucks !
Obscene !!!
 
finlaytheblade said:
Utterly rediculous what's happening in Saudi ! All these star players and no proper competition to play in
.Will be playing friendlys or maybe a game of tidlywinks perhapes that maybe more competitive..
They are spoiling everything sportwise with there megabucks !
Obscene !!!
Click to expand...
Most the world have been saying that about premier league fees tbh
 

FriethBlade said:
This is one reason why the academy is so important. I think the Saudi effect may linger and more top players move there. This will push prices up everywhere. Therefore u need a flow of home grown talent to bring into the first team who didnt cost a fee and who u can then sell on at some point for big money
Click to expand...
So Utd need to stop selling on the cheap then.
 
Bennyand the Blades said:
It's got to affect the Championship and below more than the Prem, it's bad enough that with all the subs, allowed these days the pool of talent up for grabs to teams in the lower leagues is going to get poorer smaller and dearer......... :tumbleweed:
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I think the loans allowed out rule has a bigger impact to that level than the Saudis
 
If it does take off globally and grow audiences then the other consequence a few years out is that the TV money will drop at the contract negotiation as the PL won't be the draw it currently is, overseas if not here as well.
 
The end game will be the Saudi league becoming affiliated with UEFA and getting champions league places which then gives a semblance of credibility to go with the mega billions of cash they’re handing out
 
www.bbc.com

Who has gone where in Saudi Pro League? - BBC Sport

Neymar, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Cristiano Ronaldo - a guide to which players and managers are at which teams in the Saudi Pro League.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

If you look at the players each club currently has in their squad, the league has a hell of a long was to go before they can be considered a top league.
 
The European Champions League will eventually change to the Champions League and Saudi and US teams will be given places it’s all gearing up to this theres so much money going into the new leagues it could become the FIFA champions league.
 
Geritforud said:
Seeing so many quality players being transferred to the Saudi League this summer got me pondering.
Many of them would have been in teams we will face this season, and the teams don't appear to be fully replacing the talent they've sold.
The Premier League as a whole seems to be losing talent to other leagues. I know I'm being silly hoping something out of our control works in our favour, but hope springs eternal as a Blade.
Click to expand...
It's also basically bailed Chelsea out after their own insane spending.

Too much money in football before this Saudi bullshit.

Hopefully some of the players publicly declare they're donating most of the crazy salaries to women's charities/LGBTQ charities etc.

P.S. Someone mentioned the super league. TBH if the richest few teams in the Prem pissed off, would the league actually be more enjoyable and competitive? Yep. Would many players want to play in a "super league" but be banned from domestic leagues? Probably not.
 
drinksmat said:
If it does take off globally and grow audiences then the other consequence a few years out is that the TV money will drop at the contract negotiation as the PL won't be the draw it currently is, overseas if not here as well.
Click to expand...
How can they compete with the prem we have the best league in the world,can the saudies compete with that ?
To make a league comparable with the premiership it will cost billions.20 teams 25 players minimum per team and all that goes with that ! Won't work in my opinion it will just end up with exhibition matches and even TV will get tired of that..
 
I really hope the Saudis give the Premier league the bums rush.
 
I don't think the "exodus" will have any baring on us. We need to score more goals than we let in. Simple. We need to stop playing pointless pass back and sideways safety possession football and actually do something with it. Our destiny is in our hands and a lot of inconsistent players need to find consistency or we're screwed. McBurnie in particular owes us a huge season and we need to see a reliable goal scorer in him and not this shithousery thug that he keeps returning to. His tally of 6 goals in one season was pitiful for the price we paid. He needs to find a hunger, selfishness and ruthlessness when he has a sight on goal. As the great Michael Jordan once said "You miss 100% of the chances you don't take."

You could sell 5-6 players from every team but ours to Saudi Arabia and it won't make a difference to us if we don't create enough and take enough chances, which is what relegated us last time. That and poor recruitment, which remains to be seen. Two permanents so far and one loan? That's never going to be enough, especially when Hecky favours one up top in front of Ndiaye which could rule out Traore. At least this time we're hoping to keep and build around Slimane and Traore, whilst the likes of Burke, Freeman etc we were stuck with and couldn't do anything with them back in the Championship.

Apologies if this sounds all doom and gloom, but I'm not that optimistic yet. The season is looming and recruitment has been minimal and unproven. We cannot afford to sign players and not play them. We must sign better than we have, who can go straight into the team. We cannot afford to sign players and then wait 2-3 weeks to see them with the usual lame excuse of "they need time to settle and adjust," while the rest of the league starts their new signings from day one. We need 4 points from Palace and Forest to give ourselves any fighting chance of staying in touch with just above the relegation zone.

My major concern is goals. We struggled to score them over two seasons last time in the Premier League. First time round we scored 39 in 38 games, the second season even less. Ndiaye and McBurnie need to hit the ground running and show the Premier League what they're made of.

I don't really care about Saudi Arabia buying footballers or what everyone else in the Premier League is doing. I only care about what the Blades are doing.
 
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finlaytheblade said:
How can they compete with the prem we have the best league in the world,can the saudies compete with that ?
To make a league comparable with the premiership it will cost billions.20 teams 25 players minimum per team and all that goes with that ! Won't work in my opinion it will just end up with exhibition matches and even TV will get tired of that..
Click to expand...
I'm thinking more the global audience than the domestic but the international rights make up a good chunk of the TV money. It will need to establish itself as a league and get good viewing figures but if it does that will be the results if there are less eyes on the PL.
 
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