Q: Why are players signing for Saudi Arabian clubs?

[Day]

A: Ivan Toney to bank UK equivalent of £1 million a week in Saudi Arabia

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/09/03/ivan-toney-bank-around-1million-a-week-saudi-arabia-al-ahli/

Fair play to him, you cannot fault his decision at all, in fact I would question any players sanity refusing that kind of money. We've seen some turn it down, yet it's only a matter of time till be the money becomes irresistible to every player.

How far can they go with this, can they create a tournament that rivals the Champions League and see Saudi Arabia as the focal point for world football?

We saw China attempt it, however not to this level. 

[nottingram]

Doubt it will really take off.

Even this year there has been a sharp drop off in the number of players going on and while they might attract players like Toney there is still a certain aura to the Champions League that will never be replicated (unless UEFA keep doing a good job of making it a bit crap).

I can’t ever really see the very top players going over there at their peak, and until that happens it won’t be a decent league. The money is amazing but it will probably still be there when you’re 32 so why go now and not be taken seriously?

[RadioactiveWaste]

There's no sporting reason to go to the Saudi league and even if that league was comprised of high calibre players at the clubs, there's no achievement to he had, no glory. The money and trappings all stem from the glory.

[IslandExile]

[TigerTedd]

If the only incentive is the money, and the money will be there whether you’re 24 or 32 then why would anyone go there in their prime. They’re sort of shooting themselves in the foot by offering such massive sums, because they’ll end up just getting a bunch of mediocre players earning twice as much as they could at lower prem clubs, taking advantage and squeezing them for every penny they’ve got.

there is no love for the Saudi league, it is all about the money. Once that runs out, they’ve got nothing. What I mean by that is, they need some strategy for people to stay, come for the money, stay for the sand. Whereas even if the premier league ran out of money, you’ve still got the legacy of 100 years of history behind it. And that’s important. 

[therealhantsram]

How much money is enough money?

If I had already had a career at the top, and banked 50 million or so, I dont think I would go. Playing in front of 1500 fans. Teammates way below my level. The limitations on the life of my wife and daughters. 

It wouldn't be for me.

Toney is perhaps a bit more understandable, with a career mostly in the lower leagues he can see an opportunity to have a more comfortable retirement.

But for players who have spend a career in top flight football, I don't get it. 

[Bessie1]

Play in front of 30,000 to 60,000 passionate fans every week, in the greatest league in the world - be a hero to thousands of kids, and become very rich in the process.

OR…

Play in front of less than 5,000 fans in a desert for a team nobody cares about and in a league nobody cares about, but become obscenely rich (as opposed to only “very rich”) in the process.  
 

I’m baffled why anyone would choose the second option.

[Day]

1 hour ago, Bessie1 said:

Play in front of 30,000 to 60,000 passionate fans every week, in the greatest league in the world - be a hero to thousands of kids, and become very rich in the process.

OR…

Play in front of less than 5,000 fans in a desert for a team nobody cares about and in a league nobody cares about, but become obscenely rich (as opposed to only “very rich”) in the process.  
 

I’m baffled why anyone would choose the second option.

Being obscenely rich sounds like fun, you not think?

Few seasons out there, treated like an megastar whilst becoming a billionaire.

The world is then your oyster, I would buy a lower league club out in Spain, somewhere nice and challenge myself in ownership whilst playing on jet skis all week and having women chase me around. 

Sounds like a dream.

[Alty_Ram]

8 minutes ago, Day said:

Being obscenely rich sounds like fun, you not think?

Few seasons out there, treated like an megastar whilst becoming a billionaire.

The world is then your oyster, I would buy a lower league club out in Spain, somewhere nice and challenge myself in ownership whilst playing on jet skis all week and having women chase me around. 

Sounds like a dream.

I think any top Premier League player will be obscenely rich anyway though, so it's just extra digits on an already utterly massive pay day really. I'd expect that most players still become footballers because it is what they have a passion for and a skill in as well as knowing that they can make a great living in it if they make the grade. If I were a footballer though, I'd want to win things in front of adoring crowds AND be showered with riches as well as being able to say that I won the Champions League etc. Toney no doubt already has a fleet of flashy cars and a massive house.

People say "Well, we'd ALL chase that money" but I'm not sure that's always true. I haven't always gone to the best paid job. Obviously it's a significant factor, but location, working culture and a generally good feeling about the group of people that you'd be joining have all been weighed up in the decision, not just the bottom line numbers on the pay cheque.

I guess that if he were to do a year or two max and then come home and chase Champions League and domestic honours before his stock has fallen too much then that'd be more understandable. Thing is, he's 28 and should be in the prime of his career. This just feels like a 30 somethings decision, because he's achieved nothing of note in the game so far and scoring hatricks in a Saudi League winning side won't fix that.

Each to their own I guess.

[Reggie Greenwood]

39 minutes ago, Day said:

Being obscenely rich sounds like fun, you not think?

Few seasons out there, treated like an megastar whilst becoming a billionaire.

The world is then your oyster, I would buy a lower league club out in Spain, somewhere nice and challenge myself in ownership whilst playing on jet skis all week and having women chase me around. 

Sounds like a dream.

I’d buy Forest and shut them down. 

[Leeds Ram]

4 hours ago, Day said:

A: Ivan Toney to bank UK equivalent of £1 million a week in Saudi Arabia

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/09/03/ivan-toney-bank-around-1million-a-week-saudi-arabia-al-ahli/

Fair play to him, you cannot fault his decision at all, in fact I would question any players sanity refusing that kind of money. We've seen some turn it down, yet it's only a matter of time till be the money becomes irresistible to every player.

How far can they go with this, can they create a tournament that rivals the Champions League and see Saudi Arabia as the focal point for world football?

We saw China attempt it, however not to this level. 

Don't agree with this as you can totally fault them. It's not like they're earning 40-50k a year and asking for a bump up. He'd easily be on 50-60k at Brentford and if he'd have forced a move to a bigger english club be on 80-100k as well. All he's done here is knacker whatever chance he had at an international career after this. Pretty appalling behaviour given Brentford stuck by him after all the betting scandals. 

There's a fair few studies which show happiness in relation to income tails off after 80k a year anyway so it's not like you're magically going to become happier once you go from earning 60k a week to 500k a week. All he's doing is helping sports wash a vile dictatorship by playing football no-one will give a damn about and wreck his career in the process. Whoever is advising him is an idiot tbh.

[GboroRam]

 

 

[Tamworthram]

3 hours ago, TigerTedd said:

If the only incentive is the money, and the money will be there whether you’re 24 or 32 then why would anyone go there in their prime. They’re sort of shooting themselves in the foot by offering such massive sums, because they’ll end up just getting a bunch of mediocre players earning twice as much as they could at lower prem clubs, taking advantage and squeezing them for every penny they’ve got.

there is no love for the Saudi league, it is all about the money. Once that runs out, they’ve got nothing. What I mean by that is, they need some strategy for people to stay, come for the money, stay for the sand. Whereas even if the premier league ran out of money, you’ve still got the legacy of 100 years of history behind it. And that’s important. 

Probably for the simple reason that some people (not just footballers) want it today (greater wealth in the case of professional footballers) rather than wait until tomorrow.

I really can’t think of any other incentive. The massive pay deals must surely be there simply because there is nothing else to attract players.

I can’t see the Saudi wealth running dry any time soon. The best hope is that they lose interest in the project.

[DarkFruitsRam7]

7 hours ago, Day said:

A: Ivan Toney to bank UK equivalent of £1 million a week in Saudi Arabia

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/09/03/ivan-toney-bank-around-1million-a-week-saudi-arabia-al-ahli/

Fair play to him, you cannot fault his decision at all, in fact I would question any players sanity refusing that kind of money. We've seen some turn it down, yet it's only a matter of time till be the money becomes irresistible to every player.

How far can they go with this, can they create a tournament that rivals the Champions League and see Saudi Arabia as the focal point for world football?

We saw China attempt it, however not to this level. 

Impossible to say for sure without being in that position myself, but I really don't think I'd take it.

I think if he dropped his ego a little bit (based on his constant wanting out of Brentford and a rumoured terrible meeting with Arteta), he'd get a move to a club chasing silverware. He'd probably bank about 150k a week, remain living in a fun city, and be in with a shot of reaching the pinnacle of the game.

Instead, he's moving to a nothing league with nothing to compete for.

I don't begrudge him anything. But if I'd worked as hard as he did to claw my way back to the top of the game after failing to make the grade at Newcastle as a youngster, I'd want to keep pushing for the very top.

I also think he'd have taken a move to Arsenal over Saudi if Arsenal actually wanted him. He seemingly left himself with no other option, with the big clubs not willing to take a punt and with his bridges burnt at Brentford.

[Carl Sagan]

The money is simply too extraordinary to turn down. Toney would be crazy not to take it. Obviously the sums we're talking about are what most on here can only dream of, but for the rich there's a big difference between being worth £300m or £30m.

[richinspain]

3 hours ago, Leeds Ram said:

Don't agree with this as you can totally fault them. It's not like they're earning 40-50k a year and asking for a bump up. He'd easily be on 50-60k at Brentford and if he'd have forced a move to a bigger english club be on 80-100k as well. All he's done here is knacker whatever chance he had at an international career after this. Pretty appalling behaviour given Brentford stuck by him after all the betting scandals. 

There's a fair few studies which show happiness in relation to income tails off after 80k a year anyway so it's not like you're magically going to become happier once you go from earning 60k a week to 500k a week. All he's doing is helping sports wash a vile dictatorship by playing football no-one will give a damn about and wreck his career in the process. Whoever is advising him is an idiot tbh.

£100k per week, that's £5.2m a year.

£1m per week, that's £52m a year.

I know where I'd be spending at least the next 2 years.

[Magicman]

[EtoileSportiveDeDerby]

Moderate climate, gender equality, LGBT friendly, tolerant government, full stadiums to name a few. What’s not to like about experiencing soccer in $audi.

[MaltRam]

I can see why they go, but to be fair once you're minted, you're minted. What does the extra money get you? A bigger yacht? More servants? That's why some stay for the glory andcthe competition.

As an aside, I hope the Saudi league takes off big time. I loathe the Premier League and I'd be delighted to see the billionaire clubs brought down the pecking order a few notches. If the Champions league was played on my back yard, I'd shut my curtains. Awful competition. 

Let the focus go elsewhere and let's hope to have a more even contest over here as a result.

[Grumpy Git]

5 hours ago, Day said:

Few seasons out there, treated like an megastar whilst becoming a billionaire.

Pedant alert; to become a billionaire at £1m a week, would take over 19 years, (without spending anything).