Saudi Pro League determined to be a place for 'exceptional players only'

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Saudi Pro League determined to be a place for 'exceptional players only'

Saudi Pro League director of football Michael Emenalo claims the competition can position itself as one of the world's best within the next two years by targeting 'exceptional players only'

The former technical director of Chelsea assumed his role in July and is continuing the Pro League's significant £400m investment initiative. This strategy has enticed players such as Karim Benzema, Jordan Henderson, Riyad Mahrez, and Roberto Firmino to join Saudi Arabian clubs this summer.

So far, the majority of top stars heading to Saudi Arabia, including Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Cristiano Ronaldo, have been in the latter stages of their respective careers. At 26, Ruben Neves is one of the exceptions to the trend and arguably not in the same bracket of star anyway.

Richard Masters, chief executive of the Premier League, recently shared that he isn't overly worried about Saudi Arabia's unrestricted spending. However, Emenalo cautioned that there are essentially no bounds to the country's willingness to invest in football players.

"I would love to have Kylian Mbappe here. I would love to have Harry Kane here. The league would like all the top players," he said.

Indeed, Mbappe has already been the subject of world record £259m bid from Al Hilal that was accepted by Paris Saint-Germain, although the plater himself wasn't interested in the move.

"In a couple of years, this will become a league for exceptional players only. It will become a league for those who are at the top of their game. We have the resources, and we’re going to use them," Emenalo said. "I don’t think it is going to take the same amount of time that it took the [English] Premier League to get there for us to establish ourselves."

Emenalo emphasised that the Saudi Pro League's aim is not to undermine the Premier League in a manner similar to LIV Golf and the PGA Tour and hopes that elite football's established order in Europe will eventually be less apprehensive and collaborate with them.

“The European leagues, especially the Premier League, are very strong, they have no reason to be scared,” he added. “I think there’s panic in some areas, but this is from a misunderstanding of what we are trying to do.

“I saw what [Jurgen] Klopp and what [Pep] Guardiola said [about the Pro League]. One is a coach I absolutely admire and the other is a good friend of mine in Pep. First, I hope they don’t talk themselves out of a job [in Saudi Arabia] in the future. I understand their concerns. Our goal is to work together with all the leagues and be a brotherhood in the football industry.”