Saudi Pro League transfer chief insists disruption "healthy" for Premier League
No wonder Jurgen Klopp is concerned.
No wonder Pep Guardiola and Premier League chief Richard Masters have warned the top flight “to be aware” of the scale of the Saudi Pro League’s ambition. Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and Manchester City Treble winner Riyad Mahrez have already joined the exodus to the competition the players are all talking about.
And the Saudis could not have picked a more respected, astute operator to help smooth negotiations than Michael Emenalo. The ex-Chelsea Technical Director is now the Saudis’ Director of Football for Player Acquisition.
He has joined a skilled team of strategists, data analysts, scouts and specialists led by CEO Saad Allazeez - all geared towards recruiting A-listers and easing the fears of stars keen to embrace football’s newest adventure. While Klopp fears the longer Saudi window leaves top Premier League players up for grabs in early September, Emenalo sees the “disruption” as healthy.
“I can understand the sign of panic,” he said. “That's always a knee jerk reaction to change. It feels intimidating to some but to us it feels positive and organic and is just how things usually happen.
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“The word I've heard is ‘disrupting’ - that we're disrupting the industry. My simple take on that is yes, we are disrupting the industry, but we are disrupting to enhance. We're adding value to the industry. And there have been other countries that have also had delayed transfer windows.
“It doesn't matter, the players will look at the market with their representatives and decide where they want to go. And it has nothing to do with the delayed transfer times of Turkey or Russia or the Saudi Pro League. It is entirely the job of the clubs to manage the office.”
What have you made of the influx of players to the Saudi Pro League? Let us know in the comments section
Former Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo has a new role with the Saudi Pro League (Getty Images)Reflecting on Henderson’s decision to quit Anfield for Saudi Arabia, Emenalo - an ex-Nigeria left-back who played in six different countries and at the 1994 World Cup - was fulsome in his praise. "Every single marquee player that we've attracted to the league makes a big statement,” he said. “Especially the really experienced ones who have been in other clubs and are so economically solvent that they don't need to do this.
“Jordan is someone I've always admired. I tried to sign him when he was at Sunderland and I was at Chelsea.
“I've got to know him and he’s a thoughtful individual who cares about all the issues. He took some time to study and make this decision. As did Karim Benzema and Riyad Mahrez.
“They’ve come because part of the competitive beast and as a former footballer myself, part of that is the willingness to go and blaze a trail. Yes, there's always the economic incentive. But it’s the willingness to go and try something else and see if you can make a difference.”
Explaining why he joined the Saudi project himself, Emenalo went on: “I realised the potential of what they were already doing and the level of ambition.
“It's 40 million people have a very youthful and dynamic vision. They have the resources, the determination and the infrastructure, and they can construct even more infrastructure.
“The league has been around for 50 years. Now we want to take it to a different level.”
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Emenalo also points to the fact that while Premier League bosses are concerned about the SPL, it has splashed out around £300million so far. Premier League spending currently stands at around £1.2billion.
Karim Benzema is one of the big names to move to Saudi Arabia (AFP via Getty Images)“I don't like the word threat, ” he said. “The football industry is a big and expanding world with opportunities for so many young players.
“There's enough to go around for everybody. We have 18 clubs in the SPL. We can't take everybody. And right now the only acquisitions you can have as a club is eight foreigners. So the panic is unwarranted.
"The criticism is a natural reaction to change that some might find intimidating but haven't taken time to evaluate and understand.”
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