Jurgen Klopp has urged UEFA and FIFA to “find solutions”, with the Liverpool boss concerned that the transfer
window in Saudi Arabia will remain open for three weeks after it closes in Europe.
Saudi Arabian clubs are in the midst of a major spending spree, with a number of big name players make the move
from Europe for highly lucrative contract offers. Liverpool themselves have sold both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho
to Saudi sides, with Henderson pocketing staggering wages of £700,000-a-week at Al-Ettifaq.
The spending is set to continue and Klopp believes the “worst thing” about it is that Saudi clubs have until September
20 to complete transfers, while clubs in Europe’s top five leagues will have to complete their business by September 1.
As a result, he has urged UEFA and FIFA to act to prevent European sides losing players and being unable to replace
them.
“It is massive, in the moment,” Klopp said when asked about the Saudi spending spree. “Pretty much the worst thing I
think is that the transfer window in Saudi Arabia is open three weeks longer.
“If I am right, I heard something like that, then at least in Europe that’s not helpful. UEFA or FIFA must find
solutions for that. But in the end, at this moment, I don’t know exactly what will happen.
“It is already influential, for us, for sure. We will have to learn to deal with it, and that’s what we do. That’s pretty
much all I can say about it, time will show.”
Klopp’s comments come after Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola warned that “clubs need to be aware of what is
happening” as “Saudi Arabia has changed the market”. Riyad Mahrez recently made the switch from City to Saudi
Arabia, joining Al-Ahli for around £30m.
“A few months ago when Cristiano [Ronaldo] was the only one to go, no one thought this many top, top players would
play in the Saudi league,” Guardiola said. “In the future there will be more and that’s why clubs need to be aware of
what is happening.
“Saudi is not about being a threat, it is a reality. They want to create a strong league and so far they are the league who
can do it. The Premier League spent more than the others because the organisation is better and the broadcast rights
are higher
Klopp’s comments come after Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola warned that “clubs need to be aware of what is
happening” as “Saudi Arabia has changed the market”. Riyad Mahrez recently made the switch from City to Saudi
Arabia, joining Al-Ahli for around £30m.
“A few months ago when Cristiano [Ronaldo] was the only one to go, no one thought this many top, top players would
play in the Saudi league,” Guardiola said. “In the future there will be more and that’s why clubs need to be aware of
what is happening.
“Saudi is not about being a threat, it is a reality. They want to create a strong league and so far they are the league who
can do it. The Premier League spent more than the others because the organisation is better and the broadcast rights
are higher
“The Saudi league, I don’t know how long they will sustain that. But the players want to take this experience and play
in that league. Saudi Arabia has changed the market.” However, Premier League chief Richard Masters has
downplayed the rise of Saudi football, stating: “Something new is obviously happening.
“The Saudi Pro League have stated they want to be a top 10 league by 2030. They are investing in players and
managers to try to raise the profile of the league and clubs. It has taken us 30 years to get to the position that we have
in terms of profile, competitiveness and the revenue streams that we have.
“I wouldn’t be too concerned at the moment but, obviously, Saudi Arabian clubs have as much right to purchase
players as any other league does. In the end, the Premier League is a £6billion-a-year operation in terms of revenue
and that money is spent reinvested into the pitch. All good competitions have to have revenue streams to back them up.”
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