The Saudi league are they targeting to drain the prem as well

Frozen Horse said:
No, at the end of the ban.

The best players in the world were in Italy at that time. They only left because the money in the PL was better, even if it meant a Step down in quality.

Our finest were being dumped out of the CL by teams from Turkey and Poland at the time; no one was attracted by the quality, and certainly not by the quality we'd had 10 years before.
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Correct , would argue the premier league would still be in the top 3 for leagues , even without the money though

I would argue with you as well that the product of English football attracted investors because of its excitement and pace . English football is faster paced than a lot of European football . Italian football can be very slow paced and even at times boring which will put off investors . It’s for this reason I don’t watch la liga or serie a matches . I think this is why serie a also lost its investment

So in a way the players kind of did come here for our game . Just indirectly and as a result of the English game being a highly saleable product to a global audience
 
I think the flipside is that the Italian league was rising in strength regardless of the English ban.

1978 WC: not one player, other than Italians, played their football in Italy.

By the time of the 86 WC, that had risen to 16 with top players from Brazil, France and Argentina amongst others going there: Maradona and Platini being the most notable.

Ok, the English ban had started by then, but it's not like the rise happend overnight either. It also occured during,as had been pointed out, during a period of English dominance, so the players weren't going to Italy because it was the best

They went there fore money: Italy broke the equivalent of £3million in '83; that wouldn't be passed in England until '92. money attracted players to Italy, which led to it becoming the best. Only when money was better in England did the EPL become the best league again.
 
It's one thing being a washed up has been and being offered 100 mill+ when you know deep down you'd struggle to hold down a place in a lower half prem team based on your new performance level.

It's another to want to go there at the peak of your powers.

If anything, offering semi retired players obscene amounts of cash makes it less likely that good young players will go there, the young players always know that a league like Saudi, or China, or whatever, will be there when they have reached the end of their playing career and fancy playing a few exhibition games for £££££.
 
Problem is, there's 11 players in a team, and there aren't enough ageing superstars to go round. Ignoring the big names, the squads will be mediocre at best. Until that balance shifts it'll just be a retirement home for the perennially greedy.
 
Boroboyyo said:
Wouldn’t surprise me at all if beating Argentina has triggered a massive rise in support for football in the country and the Saudi government want to capitalise on that .

I know people here are saying it’s only old players past their prime , but even young players and players at their peak will be turned by the money being offered . It wouldn’t surprise me to see better players go in the future . The only question is sustainability though , the Saudis surely can’t keep offering that sum of money to players . I mean it’s barely sustainable in Europe with leagues with much bigger populaces in it and infrastructures

I don’t know though , it wouldn’t feel natural having such a high profile league in a very autocratic country either . It would feel very artificial to me . Qatar felt the same
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I dont think the sustainable bit matters for them with the money they've got.. and the money they've thrown around already
 
free_pint said:
I dont think the sustainable bit matters for them with the money they've got.. and the money they've thrown around already
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It doesn't. Never has.

But look at China and their medium term struggles creating a competitive league. Short term, got some decent players in (on eye watering money). But now - it's just another emerging league.
 
h_m_boro said:
It doesn't. Never has.

But look at China and their medium term struggles creating a competitive league. Short term, got some decent players in (on eye watering money). But now - it's just another emerging league.
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Difference is Chinese league was stopped by their govt as they changed tact on spending large amounts on football.

The middle east has already proved they will happily spend endless amounts on sport washing as they view it as better for them in the long run. They won't just drop it like China did.
 
h_m_boro said:
Oh dear, how sad.

Next will be a "link up" between a Saudi team and Newcastle with all sorts of financial scullduggery and shenanigans - similar to Watford/ Udinese/ Malaga. Players "loaned" or move between clubs for silly amounts. Not circumventing FFP in any way shape or form.

Then Saudi gets a place or two in The CL / Europa League.......all entirely above board, absolutely no envelopes stuffed full of cash changing hands. No, all legit and fully above board.

Bollox with all of it. You can keep your blood money👍
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To be given a place in the Champions league they would surely need to fall under the jurisdiction of Uefa, and all the FFP stuff that comes with it, youd think they'll be happier just buying up half the teams here
 
Anybody4aBeer said:
To be given a place in the Champions league they would surely need to fall under the jurisdiction of Uefa, and all the FFP stuff that comes with it, youd think they'll be happier just buying up half the teams here
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Apologies, being facetious. Just a dig at what money can buy in football.

Interesting that the Saudi state - sorry "investment group" - that owns Newcastle have bought 4 Saudi teams.

So now, absolutely nothing to stop them buying, say, Harry Kane for £150m on £500k week then loaning him to Newcastle for a couple of seasons thus completely circumnavigating FFP.

FIFA need to get a grip of these owners having multiple clubs and the damage it will cause.
 
Expat Smoggie said:
it's just another league similar to the MLS whereby old donkey's go to pasture.
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There's no wage cap though..

If Brazilians and Argentinian upcoming players start going there (as happened with China and Russia) with them having no caps on number of nationalised players then it could become quite a force.

Blood money is a dangerous game.
 
free_pint said:
with them having no caps on number of nationalised players then it could become quite a force.

Blood money is a dangerous game.
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I'm not sure I understand this. What exactly is the "danger"?

Supposing the Saudi league teams do spend a fortune and buy up a lot of good players, so what? It's not a zero sum game where English teams will have to change to 9 a side or something to make up for the shortage. English clubs will just find other good players to replace them.

I get that the obvious answer will be that other leagues are left comparatively weaker but I don't think that's how it works in reality.

Take boro this last season for example. The gaps in the team from Tav and others leaving should have made us weaker. Ending up with Akpom and Hackney in the side should have made us a poorer quality team to watch. Afterall nobody was clamouring for us to build the team around them this time last summer. But that's not how it works in reality. Sometimes players just need their chance and they surprise everyone.
 
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SuperStu said:
I'm not sure I understand this. What exactly is the "danger"?

Supposing the Saudi league teams do spend a fortune and buy up a lot of good players, so what? It's not a zero sum game where English teams will have to change to 9 a side or something to make up for the shortage. English clubs will just find other good players to replace them.

I get that the obvious answer will be that other leagues are left comparatively weaker but I don't think that's how it works in reality.

Take boro this last season for example. The gaps in the team from Tav and others leaving should have made us weaker. Ending up with Akpom and Hackney in the side should have made us a poorer quality team to watch. Afterall nobody was clamouring for us to build the team around them this time last summer. But that's not how it works in reality. Sometimes players just need their chance and they surprise everyone.
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Sorry I didn't word that great, I more meant writing off the Saudi league in the way some have comparing them with China and the MLS was what I was getting at. I think they'll go full gung-ho at it. Once they start they won't want to be embarrassed by it not working out.
 
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