What a summer it has been for the Saudi Pro League. It all started with Cristiano Ronaldo last season but that has started a trend for footballers at the tail-end of their careers to make a big-money move to Saudi Arabia.
The interesting thing is that unlike Ronaldo and Benzema who are in their late 30s, the latest batch to make their move are all below 35. Jordan Henderson and Riyad Mahrez are both around 33. Fabinho is even younger, only turning 30 in October.
Why's everyone making the move now?
It's all about the crazy money being thrown at them. Reports are that Jordan Henderson is being offered a 700,000 pounds a week deal and Mahrez is offered 865,000 pounds a week. That's about 3 to 4 times their current Premier League salaries. So you get more money while not having to train and play as hard. Quite a good deal.
Is this sustainable, though?
Just as with the whole LIV Golf and PGA situation, it's hard to see the Saudi Professional League being able to make this sustainable. Paying top dollars for aging professionals doesn't seem like a good way to spend money. Many of these clubs are also propped up by the nation's sovereign wealth fund. How happy would the Saudi citizens be if their country's wealth is going to these players.
Because there's no way that the TV and stadium revenue will be able to cover this expenditure. In the short term, it's going to be a good time for European clubs looking to offload their aging stars.