On Tuesday, Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool, voiced his concern to the authorities in charge of football on the late closing of the transfer window in the Saudi Arabia league. Klopp is concerned that this may have a negative impact on teams in Europe.
Klopp stated his worry when responding to the news that former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane is likely to leave Bayern Munich to join Saudi side Al Nassr. Klopp made his comments while speaking in Singapore on the day of his team’s pre-season friendly against Bayern Munich, who are the defending German champions.
Since the beginning of the year, teams in the oil-rich Middle Eastern monarchy have spent lavishly in an effort to recruit some of the best players in the world. These players include Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and N’Golo Kante, among others.
Following in the footsteps of Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino, the Brazilian midfielder Fabinho became the third Liverpool player to go to a Saudi club during this offseason. On Monday, he joined Al-Ittihad in a deal for £40 million ($51 million), becoming the third Liverpool player to move to a Saudi club.
Klopp looks worried that the conclusion of the transfer window in Saudi Arabia on September 20, three weeks after the end of the window in Europe, might have an adverse effect on teams that would be unable to acquire appropriate replacements at that time.
“How much of an impact does Saudi Arabia have? To be continued. I really have no idea. According to the German, it seems as if they have a significant amount of power at the time, describing it as “massive.”
I believe that the fact that the transfer window in Saudi Arabia being open for three weeks longer is pretty much the worst thing that could have happened. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe I heard something of such effect. That is not helpful, at least not in Europe, to say the least. Therefore, UEFA and FIFA need to work together to find a solution to that problem.
“But in the end, I don’t know for sure what is going to take place at this very moment. Already, it has an effect on us. There is no doubt about it. We will have to acquire the skills necessary to cope with it, but that is what we do,” he went on to say.
“That’s pretty much all I can say about it, but only time will tell,” the speaker said.
When questioned about the growing impact of Saudi football, Thomas Tuchel, the manager of Bayern Munich, made a comparison between it and the Chinese Super League, which at the same time as the Chinese Super League spent a significant amount of money on importing footballing talent in the middle of the previous decade.
“I’m just observing the situation, which is a very new situation,” said Bayern’s head coach. “The situation is very new.”
“It may be compared to the circumstances that prevailed when China first began their league.It’s kind of like a gold rush over there, and we’re witnessing the next league, which is trying to become more popular, more renowned, and try to develop a brand by signing a lot of great players and coaches,” he continued. It’s kind of like a gold rush over here, too.
“Since this is an entirely novel circumstance, it is still a little too soon for me to form a definitive judgment. Therefore, I am an observer, although a shocked one.”