Saudi Pro League clubs to curb spending in upcoming transfer window

Brazilian F Neymar made the move to Saudi Pro League's Al Hilal SFC for a big money contractGetty Images

Saudi Arabia’s football clubs “will not repeat their footballing spending spree this summer” after the Kingdom made plans to “reduce losses and build a more sustainable domestic transfer market,” according to Fahad Abuljadayel of BLOOMBERG NEWS. According to FIFA, teams in Saudi Arabia spent $875.4M bringing in foreign players last summer and only English clubs -- with a tab of $1.98B -- outspent them during the period. Brazilian F Neymar, Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and former Liverpool MF Jordan Henderson all made the move to Saudi Arabia "for big money contracts" following the “game-changing arrival” of Cristiano Ronaldo to the SPL in late 2022. But despite the acquisition of dozens of top global players, the league is “still struggling to bring fans to their stadiums.” The average attendance for the 2023-24 season has been just 8,321 so far, down about 10% from the prior season (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 3/13).