Earlier this year, Cristiano Ronaldo bid farewell to Europe and made his move to Saudi Arabia. Karim Benzema joined him shortly after, marking the beginning of the Saudi Pro League’s ambitious plans to establish a strong presence in international football.
However, the real turning point came when the Saudi Public Investment Fund acquired the four biggest clubs in the country, solidifying their determination to make a significant impact on the global football stage. Even though many players linked to the Saudi league are past their prime and available on free transfers, reports emerged on Sunday suggesting a £47 million bid for Wolves star Ruben Neves.
The growing interest in Chelsea players by the Saudi league has further fueled scepticism among fans regarding the league’s intentions. Chelsea has been widely reported selling some of its star players this summer to comply with financial fair play regulations.
Several Chelsea players, including Hakim Ziyech, N’Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, have been linked with moves to Saudi Arabia. The situation has become more perplexing due to a report from last year’s Daily Mail, which suggested that the Saudi Public Investment Fund is a “major investor” in Clearlake Capital, one of Chelsea’s major shareholders.
Fans have started to recognize this connection and are displeased with the apparent assistance provided by the Saudi Public Investment Fund to a team they have a financial stake in to resolve Chelsea’s financial predicament.
“Chelsea paid £32m for this 31-year-old player and put him on £295k per week. It only makes sense that he has retained almost all his value now that the club wants to move on,” remarked one fan regarding the potential Koulibaly deal.
“Essentially, it’s a get out of jail free card for Chelsea. They can spend as much money as they want on the best up-and-coming stars, and if they fail, it doesn’t really matter; they can just ship them off to Saudi Arabia. My love for football is dying by the day,” added another frustrated fan.
A third fan stated, “If this ends up happening and resolves Chelsea’s financial fair play issues in the long term, it’s a lawless league. I don’t blame them for exploiting any available loopholes, but this essentially means that Saudi Arabia practically owns and financially supports two Premier League teams. It’s not really about sport anymore.”
Another comment on Chelsea’s recent extravagant spending read, “Chelsea is really fortunate. After spending £600m to secure their worst-ever Premier League finish, they find themselves with significant investments for unwanted players to alleviate their financial concerns.”
“Football is broken. After reading about the links between Chelsea, Clearlake, and the Saudi Public Investment Fund, it’s easy to understand why certain individuals were willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money without fear of real consequences,” replied another fan, expressing disillusionment with the current state of football.
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