The Saudi Pro League, known for attracting global stars, experienced a notably quieter transfer window in 2024 compared to the bustling activity of 2023.
Last year saw a flurry of high-profile signings, including France’s Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, Brazil’s Neymar, Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez.
These players joined Saudi Pro League teams as clubs invested heavily to bring them to the Gulf.
Their arrivals followed Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who made headlines by leaving Manchester United for Al-Nassr in early winter 2023.
In 2023, Al-Hilal, based in Riyadh, signed Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain for a record 90 million euros ($98 million) in a blockbuster move.
This summer, Saudi clubs did not pursue a wave of big-name signings. French winger Moussa Diaby, English forward Ivan Toney and Portuguese right-back Joao Cancelo were among the significant moves to Saudi Arabia during the 2024 transfer window, which closed on Sept. 2.
Biggest signing
Coached by France’s Laurent Blanc, Al-Ittihad acquired Diaby, 25, for 60 million euros ($65 million) from English Premier League side Aston Villa on July 24.
Diaby joined Benzema, Kante and Brazil’s Fabinho at the Jeddah club.
According to the German football data website Transfermarkt, Diaby was the biggest Saudi Pro League signing of the summer.
He scored 10 goals and provided nine assists in 54 appearances for Aston Villa during the 2023-24 season.
Toney to Al-Ahli
English forward Toney also moved to Saudi Arabia this summer. Based in Jeddah, Al-Ahli signed him for 42 million euros ($45 million) on Aug. 31.
Toney, 28, played for Brentford from 2020 to 2024, scoring 72 goals in 141 appearances.
He had loan spells with several English clubs before joining the Bees.
Last season, Toney scored four goals in 17 Premier League matches for Brentford but missed several games due to a betting ban.
He was suspended from football for eight months in May 2023 for breaching FA betting rules but returned in January.
He was part of England’s EURO 2024 squad, where Spain beat England 2-1 in the final.
Cancelo leaves Europe
Cancelo, a Portugal regular who previously played for European giants such as Inter Milan, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, left Manchester City for Al-Hilal in August.
Al-Hilal paid 25 million euros ($27 million) for the full-back. Cancelo joined Manchester City from Juventus in 2019 and played regularly until January 2023 when he was benched.
He made a surprising move to Bayern Munich on loan in January 2023 and spent the 2023-24 season on loan at Barcelona.
In June, he returned to Manchester City but did not play.
Cancelo won domestic titles at Benfica, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Manchester City and helped City win the Champions League, though he did not feature in the knockout stages.
Last season, he scored four goals in 42 appearances for Barcelona and played for Portugal at EURO 2024.
Zouma and Bergwijn
French central defender Kurt Zouma, who won the Champions League and English Premier League titles with Chelsea, joined Al-Orobah on loan from West Ham United in August.
The Al-Orobah football club is based in Sakakah, an oasis town in northern Saudi Arabia. Zouma, 29, helped West Ham win the third-tier UEFA Conference League title in 2023 and scored three goals in 39 appearances last season.
Separately, Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn, who played for Ajax from 2022 to 2024, signed with Al-Ittihad for 21 million euros ($22 million) on Sept. 2.
The 26-year-old Amsterdam native scored 13 goals in 31 matches for Ajax last season and was a member of the Netherlands squad at EURO 2024.
Before Ajax, he played for Tottenham Hotspur and PSV Eindhoven, where he won three Dutch titles.
Content Source: www.dailysabah.com