Saudi Pro League: The winners and losers of a historic summer transfer window

Midnight on Thursday, September 7, marked the end of the most memorable transfer window in the history of not just Saudi, but Arab and Asian football. In the space of just a few weeks the Saudi Pro League (SPL) jumped from being a regional competition on the periphery of the global sport to the single most discussed league in the world.

Lionel Messi and Mohammed Salah might not have arrived but Karim Benzema, Neymar, Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson and many more made the SPL a viable destination for football’s elite. As the window shuts and attention turns to the football on the pitch, we review the best, the worst and the most surprising of the summer transfer activity in the kingdom.

After a difficult year in which they lost many of their key players upon relegation, Al Ahli returned to the top division and were in dire need of a rebuild. The Jeddah club went about their business quietly and expertly, adding as many as 15 players, including eight new imports and a new head coach in former Red Bull Salzburg boss Matthias Jaissle.

In goal, Edouard Mendy was signed from Chelsea. The defence was strengthened by centre-backs Roger Ibanez from Roma and Merih Demiral from Atalanta, while two of the best local left-backs in the league were recruited: Abdullah Al Ammar from Damac, and Saad Balobaid from Al Taawoun.

In midfield, Al Ahli signed Franck Kessie from Barcelona and one of Spain’s brightest young talents in Gabriel Veiga from Celta Vigo. They also added local talent in the form of Al Taawoun playmaker Sumayhan Al Nabit and the experienced Abdullah Otayf from Al Hilal.

Up front, the stellar trio of Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Allan Saint-Maximin was recruited, and their attacking ranks were further bolstered in the