Saudi Professional League 23/24
Comments
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Jordan Henderson is eager to return to the Premier League in a shock move that would cost him millions of pounds in tax and lost wages.
The England midfield player has struggled to settle since completing a £12million transfer from Liverpool to Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq last summer and will seriously consider any offers the club receive this month.
In addition to adjusting to a different lifestyle the 33-year-old has also struggled with the heat and humidity of the playing conditions, while Al Ettifaq's average attendance this season of 7,800 in a 35,000-capacity stadium has proved less than inspiring.
The abuse he has received for moving to Saudi in the first place, which has been criticised as an allegedly betrayal of the LGBTQ+ community, has also taken its toll.
Henderson is understood to have told team-mates he is considering his options before taking a short holiday during the Saudi Pro League's winter break.
Diddums.
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Erm... Why do they need a Winter Break out there?2
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ForeverAddickted said:Erm... Why do they need a Winter Break out there?1
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Read an article the other day, and both Henderson and Gerrard live in Bahrain, as it's just over the border from their club, and more relaxed.1
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Just seen some shocking footage of Andy Delort going down with no one near him and having some sort of fit or seizure. This is in Qatar and hopefully he will be ok.0
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Jordan Henderson looks set to have his Contract cancelled, ahead of a move to Ajax0
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I'm sure the millions he has earned in his brief Saudi stint will have made it all worth it. Can't see him being the last of the mercenaries to jack it in early over there.1
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What a div. Ruined his reputation by going for the money then bails within a few months. Got to be one of the worst decisions ever football transfer wise. I am surprised they are cancelling his contract having spent £12M on him. Maybe small fry for the Saudis but sets a slightly dangerous precedent for them.6
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AllHailTheHen said:I'm sure the millions he has earned in his brief Saudi stint will have made it all worth it. Can't see him being the last of the mercenaries to jack it in early over there.0
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Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
The game has always been about money from about the time that players stopped going to games on the bus, and the salary cap went. My guess s that's about 60 years ago. The Saudi development is just another stage. They have the spending power to shrink and sink the Premiership, my guess is that they will. It just a case of whether they want to see it though.0 - Sponsored links:
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Chris_from_Sidcup said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
13 of the 18 teams in the league have an average attendance less than 9k.
11 of the teams recorded an attendance of less than 2k.
1 team (Al Riyadh) got a crowd of 133 for a game.
Of the 13 game weeks so far, in 11 of them the total for all games combined that week was less than Dortmund get for each home game.0 -
KingKinsella said:Chris_from_Sidcup said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
13 of the 18 teams in the league have an average attendance less than 9k.
11 of the teams recorded an attendance of less than 2k.
1 team (Al Riyadh) got a crowd of 133 for a game.
Of the 13 game weeks so far, in 11 of them the total for all games combined that week was less than Dortmund get for each home game.1 -
KingKinsella said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
The game has always been about money from about the time that players stopped going to games on the bus, and the salary cap went. My guess s that's about 60 years ago. The Saudi development is just another stage. They have the spending power to shrink and sink the Premiership, my guess is that they will. It just a case of whether they want to see it though.3 -
ForeverAddickted said:Jordan Henderson looks set to have his Contract cancelled, ahead of a move to Ajax2
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KingKinsella said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
The game has always been about money from about the time that players stopped going to games on the bus, and the salary cap went. My guess s that's about 60 years ago. The Saudi development is just another stage. They have the spending power to shrink and sink the Premiership, my guess is that they will. It just a case of whether they want to see it though.0 -
Athletico Charlton said:What a div. Ruined his reputation by going for the money then bails within a few months. Got to be one of the worst decisions ever football transfer wise. I am surprised they are cancelling his contract having spent £12M on him. Maybe small fry for the Saudis but sets a slightly dangerous precedent for them.
They make Lyle an angel in comparison.0 -
iaitch said:AllHailTheHen said:I'm sure the millions he has earned in his brief Saudi stint will have made it all worth it. Can't see him being the last of the mercenaries to jack it in early over there.1
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iaitch said:AllHailTheHen said:I'm sure the millions he has earned in his brief Saudi stint will have made it all worth it. Can't see him being the last of the mercenaries to jack it in early over there.1
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jacob_CAFC said:KingKinsella said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
The game has always been about money from about the time that players stopped going to games on the bus, and the salary cap went. My guess s that's about 60 years ago. The Saudi development is just another stage. They have the spending power to shrink and sink the Premiership, my guess is that they will. It just a case of whether they want to see it though.3 -
Stu_of_Kunming said:KingKinsella said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
The game has always been about money from about the time that players stopped going to games on the bus, and the salary cap went. My guess s that's about 60 years ago. The Saudi development is just another stage. They have the spending power to shrink and sink the Premiership, my guess is that they will. It just a case of whether they want to see it though.Stu_of_Kunming said:KingKinsella said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
The game has always been about money from about the time that players stopped going to games on the bus, and the salary cap went. My guess s that's about 60 years ago. The Saudi development is just another stage. They have the spending power to shrink and sink the Premiership, my guess is that they will. It just a case of whether they want to see it though.0 - Sponsored links:
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And we'll all say well done Lyle top stuff, you were so misunderstood by the fans........or maybe not.0
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I think the Saudi league will die on it's arse pretty soon & I'm bloody pleased about it!!!6
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Pleased to see Jordan Henderson clean up his reputation by going to Ajax.3
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Athletico Charlton said:What a div. Ruined his reputation by going for the money then bails within a few months. Got to be one of the worst decisions ever football transfer wise. I am surprised they are cancelling his contract having spent £12M on him. Maybe small fry for the Saudis but sets a slightly dangerous precedent for them.
A lesson in learning to be happy with already being worth millions.3 -
KingKinsella said:jacob_CAFC said:KingKinsella said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
The game has always been about money from about the time that players stopped going to games on the bus, and the salary cap went. My guess s that's about 60 years ago. The Saudi development is just another stage. They have the spending power to shrink and sink the Premiership, my guess is that they will. It just a case of whether they want to see it though.
There is too much prestige tied to the big European clubs and the champions league. No serious player is going there in his prime. The atmosphere at most games is awful, no one really wants to live there, and after just a short time we're already seeing some players want to leave. Henderson is the first, but there will be more.
There's also the issue for now (although i'm sure it will change) in that Saudi clubs are only allowed 8 overseas players. The big 4 that are owned by PIF have already filled their quotas with players on multiple year contracts. So what happens next summer when they want to sign more big names? They're all on huge money, so will they just pay off existing players to go?1 -
KingKinsella said:jacob_CAFC said:KingKinsella said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
The game has always been about money from about the time that players stopped going to games on the bus, and the salary cap went. My guess s that's about 60 years ago. The Saudi development is just another stage. They have the spending power to shrink and sink the Premiership, my guess is that they will. It just a case of whether they want to see it though.0 -
Chris_from_Sidcup said:KingKinsella said:jacob_CAFC said:KingKinsella said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
The game has always been about money from about the time that players stopped going to games on the bus, and the salary cap went. My guess s that's about 60 years ago. The Saudi development is just another stage. They have the spending power to shrink and sink the Premiership, my guess is that they will. It just a case of whether they want to see it though.
There is too much prestige tied to the big European clubs and the champions league. No serious player is going there in his prime. The atmosphere at most games is awful, no one really wants to live there, and after just a short time we're already seeing some players want to leave. Henderson is the first, but there will be more.
There's also the issue for now (although i'm sure it will change) in that Saudi clubs are only allowed 8 overseas players. The big 4 that are owned by PIF have already filled their quotas with players on multiple year contracts. So what happens next summer when they want to sign more big names? They're all on huge money, so will they just pay off existing players to go?0 -
soapboxsam said:Pleased to see Jordan Henderson clean up his reputation by going to Ajax.2
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KingKinsella said:jacob_CAFC said:KingKinsella said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
The game has always been about money from about the time that players stopped going to games on the bus, and the salary cap went. My guess s that's about 60 years ago. The Saudi development is just another stage. They have the spending power to shrink and sink the Premiership, my guess is that they will. It just a case of whether they want to see it though.
The PL basically laugh at the Saudi league and clubs see it as a chance to offload unwanted players.0 -
Jints said:Chris_from_Sidcup said:KingKinsella said:jacob_CAFC said:KingKinsella said:Raith_C_Chattonell said:Paraphrased from today's Mirror.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent £701 million pounds on big name players last summer.
According to Michael Emenalo (Saudi Pro League director of football) the focus will now switch to players in their prime. However, it's not all plain sailing as the average attendance to a pro league game is just 8470 with some games attracting less than a 1000.
One can only hope that their money doesn't ruin the game we all love.
The game has always been about money from about the time that players stopped going to games on the bus, and the salary cap went. My guess s that's about 60 years ago. The Saudi development is just another stage. They have the spending power to shrink and sink the Premiership, my guess is that they will. It just a case of whether they want to see it though.
There is too much prestige tied to the big European clubs and the champions league. No serious player is going there in his prime. The atmosphere at most games is awful, no one really wants to live there, and after just a short time we're already seeing some players want to leave. Henderson is the first, but there will be more.
There's also the issue for now (although i'm sure it will change) in that Saudi clubs are only allowed 8 overseas players. The big 4 that are owned by PIF have already filled their quotas with players on multiple year contracts. So what happens next summer when they want to sign more big names? They're all on huge money, so will they just pay off existing players to go?
The Premier League was by no means the most popular league in the world at the start of this century, that was probably Spain. But the astronomical deals with Sky, combined with a pretty fair way of distributing the wealth (amongst the 20 teams in the league), came at exactly the right time as new media created the opportunity to sell the game to the world in a way that wasn’t previously possible.
That this happened at the right time means there are now huge audiences for the Premier League all over the world that consider themselves real fans of PL teams even if they’ve never set foot in, and never will set foot in, England. That probably seems strange to us as Charlton fans because, really, we missed the boat on all of this by falling out of the PL before things really took off.I don’t think, however much Saudi Arabia spend on players they can ever really replicate how ingrained the PL has became to hundreds of millions (maybe billions) of people all over the world. People might watch if they have nothing else to do, but they won’t care. That means viewers won’t build the brand loyalty to Saudi league and, by extension, Saudi Arabia itself. Therefore the purpose of sports washing for the Saudi regime is essentially defeated.It’s similar to the Italian and Spanish leagues doing things like playing their “Super Cup” in Saudi (which included some pretty awful scenes when a moments silence for Franz Beckenbauer was booed…). They’re all desperately trying to replicate or catch up to the Premier League, but they never will.Didn’t expect that post to turn into a multi paragraph dissertation, apologies all!3