There are some outstanding players currently wasting their talents in the Saudi Pro League, and we’d quite like Premier League clubs to come to their rescue.
Saudi Arabian sides have been on a bit of a madness lately and will likely poach even more elite talent in the coming months, but these are eight players we think are simply too good – or too promising – to stay put. It’s time to bring them to Our League.
Gabri VeigaAfter being linked with a host of Premier League clubs – including Newcastle United and Liverpool – Veiga stunned us all by ditching Europe for Saudi Arabia, joining Al Ahli from Celta Vigo.
From a football fan’s perspective, it was a disappointing move. But the young Spaniard only signed a three-year deal in 2023, so here’s hoping he’s banking enough cash to make his next move about football and not finances.
He’s not Oscar – who won four major trophies at Chelsea, including two Premier League titles, before disappearing into the Chinese sunset and setting up shop there for eight years. Oscar clearly felt his work in Europe was done; Veiga’s hasn’t even started.
The 23-year-old has seven goals and five assists in 32 Saudi Pro League appearances – a decent enough return, but nothing to make Newcastle and co. feel like they’ve missed out on a generational talent. He managed just one goal and one assist in 12 AFC Champions League games, and didn’t start in either the semi-final against Al Hilal or the final against Kawasaki Frontale.
Still, the potential’s there…we think.
Ivan ToneyVeiga’s Al Ahli team-mate – who played a far more significant role in their Champions League triumph – former Brentford striker Toney is thriving in the Middle East after some initial teething problems.
His form this year has been so impressive that England boss Thomas Tuchel has recalled him for next month’s matches against Senegal and Andorra – which says a lot (about Toney and England’s other options), considering the cold shoulder some Saudi-based players have been given by international managers.
We all know Toney can cut the mustard in the Premier League, and with so many striker rumours swirling around, clubs like Manchester United would be silly to completely ignore him. The obvious problem with signing most Saudi Pro League stars is the astronomical salary. The upside? Some players might feel they’ve earned more than enough from a year or two in the Gulf and would be willing to take a significant pay-cut to play in Our League again.
Brentford might need firepower, with Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo out of contract next year and linked with 2025 summer moves. But that ship has surely sailed; Toney has made no secret of his desire to play for the biggest and best, even name-dropping Real Madrid. If Arsenal opt for the younger Benjamin Sesko over Viktor Gyokeres, they may want another proper No.9 to avoid a Rasmus Hojlund-style meltdown from the Slovenian, and Toney would be perfect.
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Sergej Milinkovic-SavicPossibly the most perpetually linked Premier League transfer target of all time, Milinkovic-Savic belongs to the same mythical category as modern greats Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan David – and legends of the genre like Julian Draxler, Wesley Sneijder and Leandro Damiao.
After rumour upon rumour that made us want to claw our own eyes out, the big Serbian midfielder never did make the move to England. Instead, he left Lazio for Al Hilal.
We’d still love to see SMS fulfil the prophecy. With 17 goals and eight assists from central midfield this season – and just four yellow cards – he’s clearly good enough. After missing out on moves to Arsenal or Manchester United, he might just lower his sights a little and become open to joining a Crystal Palace, Bournemouth or Nottingham Forest. He’d be a genuine superstar at any of them.
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Jhon DuranAnother player who popped up in roughly 349 transfer rumours before heading to Saudi, former Aston Villa frontman Duran surely won’t be there for long. He only joined Al Nassr in January, so a summer move feels unlikely – but never say never. If the right club come calling, the young Colombian will surely push for an exit, having ended up at Cristiano Ronaldo’s side after failing to land a move to one of England’s big boys.
The 21-year-old has scored eight Pro League goals in 13 games since his £64.6million switch. His transfer could reportedly rise to £77m, which is frankly ridiculous. For that kind of outlay, Al Nassr will want a figure no sane club is going to match. Oh, and he’s on a £16.7m-a-year deal until 2030. Moving swiftly on…
Mohamed SimakanOf all the young, promising players to head to Saudi Arabia, this one felt like the biggest waste. French centre-back Simakan left RB Leipzig for Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in September 2024, despite serious interest from several European heavyweights. Now 25, he’s under contract for another four years, making a summer exit feel unlikely – but not impossible.
His reputation was only growing in Germany, and Liverpool were tempted to repeat their Ibrahima Konate trick by signing Simakan for £42m. They never pulled the trigger, and Al Nassr snapped him up for a measly £30m.
With Konate, William Saliba, Marc Guehi and others linked with moves, and Sven Botman constantly crocked for Newcastle, we could see Simakan land in the Premier League this summer. We do love a good old-fashioned domino transfer chain…
Marcos Leonardo
Like Simakan, Leonardo move to Saudi Arabia last September for a similar fee: £33m. There were high hopes for the young Brazilian in Portugal, even if his return of eight goals in 24 games wasn’t exactly eye-catching.
His form for Al Hilal, though, has been outstanding. In 38 appearances, Leonardo has scored 25 goals – including a hat-trick in a 9-0 thrashing of poor Al Fateh, whose most recognisable name is former Espanyol forward Matias Vargas. Yup, us neither.
It’s all gone a bit quiet, but Premier League clubs may still have Leonardo filed away somewhere. We wouldn’t blame anyone from Chelsea to Wolves for taking a punt.
Ezequiel FernandezSupposed to be the next Enzo Fernandez, but instead of following that trajectory, Ezequiel chose money over medals and signed a long-term deal with Al Qadsiah.
Arsenal were reportedly in the mix for the highly rated Boca Juniors midfielder. According to El Crack Deportivo (excellent name, by the way), Edu Gaspar had Fernandez on his radar and even sent scouts to Argentina to watch him in action.
He’s still only 22, so there’s plenty of time for a Premier League move. This summer? We shall see.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Please. Someone do it. Just for the craic.
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