N’Golo Kanté will wear the number 
shirt at Al-Ittihad. 
(
@ittihad)
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UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says Saudi Arabian clubs are making a mistake by signing players at the end of their careers.
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Saudi Arabia is using football as a vehicle to diversify and build a sustainable ecosystem relating to sport, tourism, infrastructure, and the creation of jobs for Saudis, which will strengthen its national economic diversification agenda. Saudi Arabia is also using these investments to boost its reputation in the Western world, which is known as “sportswashing”.
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In the coming years Saudi Arabia’s investment in football will reshape the Middle East by attracting footballers from Europe and monopolizing commercial deals.
This sports exodus to Middle East will have wide implications on the region and is detrimental to the growth of football in other countries.
Saudi Arabia’s investment in football has the potential to have long-term effects on the global football industry. Some of these potential effects are:
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Disrupting international soccer world: Saudi Arabia’s investment in football is disrupting the international soccer world, which has traditionally been controlled by Europe and the West. Instead of moving towards a balanced overall football development world wide, we are seeing a paradigm shift in the football landscape.
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Boosting Saudi Arabia’s economic prospects: Saudi Arabia’s investment in football is part of the kingdom’s strategy to strengthen its national economic diversification agenda, which could attract foreign investment, put the kingdom on the world map, and create jobs for Saudis.
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Using football as a tool to improve Saudi Arabia’s image: Saudi Arabia has a huge football fanbase, and football could be its most effective tool to improve the country’s profile and draw positive attention. This soft power strategy in an attempt to polish its public image on the international stage.
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Sportswashing strategy: Saudi Arabia’s investment in football is part of its broader strategy to expand its investments in sport, from golf to football to esports, and use sport as a political instrument for the leaders of Saudi Arabia. The process is known as sportswashing, a term popularized by Amnesty International to describe the use of sports by oppressive governments to legitimize their regimes and distract from their human rights abuses.
Overall, Saudi Arabia’s investment in football has significant implications for the global football industry.
The European leagues and countries/leagues in rest of the world should work on rules for its clubs that will put controls on such questionable transfers and curtail this shift before the game of football is vested in one country.
It will be interesting to see how it develops in the coming years.
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Saudi Arabian clubs are now targeting a move for Hirving Lozano and the Napoli player is considering the move. 
(Source: @DiMarzio)
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Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has received two approaches from clubs in Saudi Arabia.
[Source: Fabrizio Romano]
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Al-Hilal are prepared to offer Bernardo Silva an eye-watering £75m-a-year salary to persuade him to join them.
(Source: @Jack_Gaughan)
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Official, confirmed. Rúben Neves joins Al Hilal on permanent deal from Wolves for €55m fee, record sale for English club. 
#transfers
Neves has signed as Wolves player until June 2026.
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Kalidou Koulibaly has signed his three-year contract to join Al-Hilal from Chelsea. 
(Source: @SkySport)
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Édouard Mendy will travel to Saudi Arabia tomorrow to complete his move to Al-Ahli from Chelsea. 
(Source: @FabrizioRomano)
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Marco Verratti has received an important proposal from Al-Hilal and the midfielder and his entourage are considering his next steps. 
He will make a decision in the next few days. 
(Source: @AlfredoPedulla)
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More on Al Ahli proposal to Roberto Firmino. Saudi club has offered Brazilian striker a contract valid until June 2026, three year deal. 
#transfers
Al Ahli hope to get it done this week to plan for the medical tests between Wednesday and Friday.
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Hakim Ziyech’s move to Al-Nassr will be complete in the next 48 hours. Personal terms and a €10m fee are already agreed. 
(Source: @JacobsBen)
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Karim Benzema
N’Golo Kanté
Ruben Neves
Kalidou Koulibaly 
Hakim Ziyech
Edouard Mendy
Marcelo Brozović
Bobby Firmino
Bernardo Silva
Riyad Mahrez
Antoine Griezmann
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Alexis Sanchez
Jordi Alba
Hugo Lloris
P-E Aubameyang
Saul Niguez
Thomas Partey
Alvaro Morata
Will you be watching the Saudi Pro League this season? 
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Édouard Mendy has completed his move from Chelsea to Al-Ahli—Never forget his incredible 12 months 
Champions League
UEFA Super Cup
Club World Cup
AFCON
The Best Men’s Goalkeeper
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Kalidou Koulibaly talks about the reasons he moved to Saudi Arabia:
About money: “I can’t deny it. I will be able to help my whole family to live well, from my parents to my cousins, and support the activities of my Capitaine du Coeur association in Senegal. We started building a clinic in my parents’ village. I have many projects to help young people.”
On religion: “I am a Muslim, I am arriving in an ideal country for me and my family.”
On his situation at Chelsea: “I don’t like being on the bench doing nothing. I prefer to go where I am really wanted.”
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