'Changed the market' - Man City stance on Saudi Pro League should help them

Not for the first time, Pep Guardiola saw things in the game before others.

Two weeks before Premier League chief executive Richard Masters was insisting that the Saudi Pro League would not threaten the Premier League's status, the Manchester City manager was spelling out the reality that they already were. The Blues had already seen first-hand evidence of it when Riyad Mahrez brought them an offer they felt they had to accept from Al-Ahli despite the wish to keep him at the Etihad.

“It is not about a threat, it is a reality. They (Saudi Arabia) want to create a strong league and so far they are the league who can do it," Guardiola said last July.

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“Saudi Arabia has changed the market. A few months ago when Cristiano [Ronaldo] was the only one to go and no-one thought this many top, top players would play in the Saudi league.

“In the future there will be more - and that’s why clubs need to be aware of what is happening. Riyad got an incredible offer and that's why we could not say ‘don't do it’. Definitely our thoughts were for Riyad to stay here.”

Mahrez may not have still been at his peak but he was still considered good enough to remain with the Premier League champions, so it was noted that he was tempted away from Manchester to join the new league. It also marked a change for stars considering their options; Bernardo Silva has looked for a new challenge for years in Europe yet no club has been able to come close to his worth - he rejected a move to Saudi Arabia last year.

Silva has summed up the success and challenge for City and their