The Saudi Roshan League: A Global Magnet for Soccer Stars

The Saudi Roshan League has experienced a significant increase in popularity and global attention, attracting top-notch deals and strengthening its clubs with the support of the Ministry of Sports project.

Signing World-Class Coaches and Players

The Saudi Football Association made headlines during the summer 2023 transfer window by securing the services of Robert Mancini, the coach of Italy’s national team and the Euro 2020 winner. Mancini will lead the Saudi national team until 2027, earning an annual salary of 25 million euros.

A New Season Filled with Excitement

The upcoming season in the Saudi League promises to be extraordinary in terms of strength and excitement. Many professional players from Europe have joined Saudi clubs, adding to the competition’s allure.

Summer 2023 Transfers from Europe

Here are the notable summer 2023 transfers from Europe to the Saudi League for the 2023-2024 season:

Crescent

• Neymar: The Brazilian superstar joined Paris Saint-Germain until 2025 for a fee of 90 million euros, excluding bonuses. He will receive a salary of 300-400 million euros over two years.
• Malcolm Philby Oliveira: The Brazilian player moved from Russian club Zenit for 60 million euros.
• Alexander Mitrovic: The Serbian striker joined Crescent until 2026 for a fee of 50 million euros.
• Sergey Savic: Serbian player Savic transferred from Lazio for 42 million euros. His contract with Crescent lasts until 2026, with an annual salary of 20 million euros.
• Kalidou Koulibaly: The Senegalese-French defender joined Crescent from Chelsea for 23 million euros.
• Yacine Bono: Moroccan goalkeeper Bono transferred from Sevilla for 21 million euros, with an annual salary of 30 million euros until 2026.
• Jorge Jesus: Portuguese coach Jesus signed a one-year contract with Crescent for a salary of 15 million euros annually.

Union

• Fabinho: Brazilian player Fabinho joined Union from Liverpool for 52 million euros, with a weekly salary of £425,000.
• Jota: Celtic’s Jota transferred to Union for £25 million and signed a three-year contract.
• Karim Benzema: The French striker signed a free transfer agreement with the Saudi Federation until 2026 after leaving Real Madrid.
• N’Golo Kante: French midfielder Kante also signed a free transfer agreement with the Saudi Federation until 2026 after leaving Chelsea.

Victory

The start of a flurry of transfers from European leagues to the Roshan League began with the signing of Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo by Al-Nasr. Ronaldo joined the Saudi club on a free transfer deal after terminating his contract with Manchester United. He will receive a salary of 200 million euros for two seasons.

• Sadio Mane: The Senegalese winger transferred from Bayern Munich to Victory for 30 million euros, with an annual salary of 40 million euros.
• Ottavio: Portuguese midfielder Ottavio signed a contract with Saudi Victory until 2026 for 60 million euros.
• Aymeric Laporte: Spanish defender Laporte joined Victory from Manchester City for approximately 27.5 million euros.
• Alex Telles: Brazilian player Telles signed with Victory until 2025 for 4 million pounds plus benefits, with an annual salary of 7 million pounds plus benefits.

Al Ahly

• Gabri Vega: Spanish player Vega transferred from Celta Vigo to Al Ahly for about 40 million euros.
• Riyad Mahrez: Algerian winger Mahrez joined Al Ahly from Manchester City until 2027, with a transfer fee of 30 million euros and an annual salary of 30 million euros.
• Roger Ibáñez: Defender Ibáñez signed from Rome for €28.5 million.
• Saint-Maximilian: French player Saint-Maximilian joined Al Ahly from Newcastle for €27.2 million.
• Merih Demiral: Turkish defender Demiral transferred from Atalanta to Al Ahly for €20 million.
• Edouard Mendy: Senegalese goalkeeper Mendy signed a permanent contract with Chelsea and joined Al Ahly until 2026 for 18.5 million euros, with an annual salary of 12 million euros and a bonus of 4 million euros.
• Frank Casey: Ivorian player Casey signed a contract with Al Ahly until 2026 for 12.5 million euros, with a salary of 64 million euros over three years.
• Roberto Firmino: Brazilian striker Firmino joined Al Ahly on a free transfer until June 2026.
• Matthias Jaisle: German coach Jaisle will lead Al Ahly for three years until 2026.

Young

• Habib Diallo: Senegalese striker Diallo transferred from Strasbourg, France to Young for €18 million.

Agreement

• Jordan Henderson: English midfielder Henderson joined Agreement from Liverpool until 2026 for 14 million euros, with a salary of 700 thousand pounds per week.
• Moussa Dembele: French striker Dembele is on a free transfer until 2027 after leaving Lyon.
• Jack Hendry: Scottish defender Hendry joined Agreement from Belgian club Brugge for €6.9 million.
• Steven Gerrard: Former Liverpool player Steven Gerrard became the new manager of Agreement under a Saudi deal until 2025.

Unit

• Jaouad Yamak: Moroccan defender Yamak joined Unit from Valladolid, Spain for €1.2 million.

Abha

• Carl Toko Ekambi: Cameroonian striker Ekambi transferred from Lyon, France to Abha until 2025 for €1.7 million.

The Saudi federation is also rumored to be in talks for a highly anticipated deal with Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, the striker for Liverpool.

It’s important to note that the summer transfer window in the Saudi League closes on September 7, 2023, at 12 am Saudi and Moscow time. Each team in the Roshan League competition can have up to eight foreign players in their squad, with seven players allowed to play in a match and one player excluded.

Source: RT