European football not in danger of Saudi spending, say senior figures

The Saudi spending spree is not a threat to the European football, claim senior figures at the European Clubs’ Association.

However, European team have remained sceptical over the prolonged transfer window in Saudi Arabia, which ends on September 7, almost a week after most of the European countries.

“I don’t think there is a danger,” said ECA chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

“We have the best and biggest competitions and the best players. It is not for me to judge what is happening outside of Europe. How to develop our clubs and association is the most important thing for us.”

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The Saudi League had the fourth largest spending over the summer, according to reports, with around 800 million euros spent.

Despite that, Al-Kehlaifi doesn’t believe the Saudi League poses any serious to European football, regardless of its addition of some very high-profile names such as Karim Benzema, Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane, Neymar and so on.