Saudi Professional League Starts - New Players This Season

The Saudi Professional League kicked off its 2024/2025 season yesterday, doing so with a bit less fanfare compared to last season, which received some attention due to all the big transfers there, such as Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, Fabinho, Sadio Mané, and Neymar, just to name a few.

This season, the transfer market has been much quieter. Whether this is due to reduced interest from players in joining the league or because the clubs have chosen to hold onto their money a bit more is hard to know, but most likely the former.

However, there are still a few big-name players who have chosen the Saudi league to further develop as players (or perhaps it was the money that played a role), and here are some of them.

Moussa Diaby to Al-Ittihad

The French international winger Moussa Diaby, who also has Malian citizenship, was a major signing for Aston Villa from Bayer Leverkusen ahead of the 2023/2024 season. He also secured a more or less regular spot in the Birmingham team, scoring 6 league goals and providing 8 assists, as well as three goals in the UEFA Conference League.

Despite being fairly successful at Villa, ahead of this season, he chose to move to Al-Ittihad for a transfer fee of around 60 million euros. Diaby will earn around 290,000 euros a week if he stays for all five years he signed for. He is only 25 years old, thus breaking the pattern of primarily aging stars choosing Saudi Arabia over playing in Europe, but since Diaby is Muslim, he might find it easier to adapt to his new country.

Nacho Fernández to Al-Qadsiah FC

Defender Nacho Fernández (often just called Nacho) has been loyal to Real Madrid throughout his career, which began with the second team, Real Madrid Castilla, back in 2008. Now, however, the 34-year-old has chosen to round off his career in Saudi Arabia with the league's newcomer Al-Qadsiah FC, where he arrives on a free transfer. During his two years under contract, Nacho will earn around 190,000 euros a week.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nacho to Al-Qadsiah FC

Another player who has chosen to conclude his career at Al-Qadsiah FC is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The striker, who has played for several of Europe's biggest clubs, is now 35 years old, and even though he is not as good as he was in his prime, he still had a really good season at Marseille last season. He scored 17 league goals, but it was mainly in the UEFA Europa League where he shined, becoming the top scorer of the entire tournament with his 10 goals. Al-Qadsiah FC reportedly paid around 9 million euros to Marseille, and just like Nacho, he will earn roughly 190,000 euros a week over the next two years.

Houssem Aouar to Al-Ittihad

The Algerian midfielder Houssem Aouar, who was born in France, was an important player for Lyon during his seven seasons there but played last season in Italy with Roma. The 26-year-old had limited playing time in Italy, so it might not have been a difficult choice when Al-Ittihad opened their wallet. The club paid around 12 million euros for Aouar, and his weekly salary is around 115,000 euros, which isn't too bad considering he isn't a major star.

Bento to Al Nassr

Brazilian goalkeeper Bento might not be a big name in Europe, but he actually made his debut for the Brazilian national team earlier this year. He has now chosen to leave Brazil and Athletico Paranaense to join Al Nassr for a fee of around 18 million euros. The 25-year-old is reported to have signed for three seasons and will earn a salary of 115,000 euros a week.

Rumors of Transfers to Saudi Arabia in 2024

As you may notice from the list, there aren't any blockbuster transfers ahead of this season, but there are some rumours of other big names potentially on their way.

Brentford's Ivan Toney might be on his way to Al-Ahli Saudi. The Englishman, who was suspended for large parts of last season due to breaches of betting regulations, is rumoured to have caught the club's interest, and if the deal goes through, it will probably be for a sum much higher than what Al-Ittihad paid for Diaby.

Another big player who was rumoured to be heading to Saudi Arabia was Argentine Paulo Dybala, who currently has a contract with Roma. Dybala was linked with the newcomer Al-Qadsiah, which has already signed Nacho and Aubameyang, but according to reports from yesterday, he has chosen to decline his potential massive salary and stay at Roma.

Other players who have been the subject of some loose rumours are Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and even Real Madrid's Vinicius Júnior, but it is likely that these players will stay with their respective clubs for at least one more season.