The vast sums invested to “entice some of the world's top players to Saudi Arabia this season is no one-off,” but Saudi Pro League COO Carlo Nohra said that it is “part of a long-term strategy to make the Saudi Pro League one of the best in the world,” according to Khairy & Mohammed of REUTERS. Saudi clubs have “spent more than” $439M in the offseason to sign players from Europe's elite teams, including Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema from Real Madrid, MF Jordan Henderson from Liverpool, and F Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City. The influx began “just a few months after” Al-Nassr signed Cristiano Ronaldo on a “reported salary of more than” $200M a year in December. Nohra said, "We had to improve quality and in order to improve quality, you have to bring in the best. Spending was always going to be an essential component for us to do this.” Nohra: “What you're seeing is simply the Saudi Pro League doing what other leagues needed to do ... We have joined these ranks, and we're doing whatever it takes to improve quality on the pitch.” Nohra added that the league's strategy would “take time to come to full fruition and that the spending was set to continue.” Multiple media reports say that Saudi Arabia has allocated more than $17B to “support clubs under the country's ‘Vision 2030’ economic and social reform blueprint,” but Nohra said that “each transfer period would be dealt with independently” (REUTERS, 8/8).
ADJUST YOUR TV SETS: THE ATHLETIC’s Philip Buckingham noted DAZN is “close” to an agreement that will “see it provide live coverage of the Saudi Pro League” to a U.K. audience this season. The streaming provider is “confident of concluding a deal for the broadcast rights before the new campaign, which begins on Friday.” An initial 12-month contract will see DAZN televise games “in the U.K., Germany and Austria.” It is “expected that every game involving Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr side will be shown,” as well as “three other live fixtures each week.” DAZN has also “held talks with IMG,” the company tasked with selling overseas broadcast rights, to “take coverage into the U.S. and Canada.” The Saudi Pro League’s new season begins on Friday. Sky Sports “initially showed coverage of the Saudi Pro League in the second half of last season” (THE ATHLETIC, 8/7).
