08 Jan 2024 00:08:45
Ed1 what’s with all the stories of the Saudi players wanting out already? Just nonsense or is there some truth?

Hendo on £350k-£700k a week depending on who you believe won’t get near that coming back so he really must hate it there if the stories are true.

{Ed001's Note - it is not as simple as one thing. There are different issues for different players. They brought in a huge influx of new guys on big money, there was always going to be a bunch of them that failed to settle, that is what it is about for a lot of them. In Benzema's case, well it is Benzema that is the problem. The team he joined won the league the previous season under Nuno Espirito Santo, but he forced the club to fire Nuno as he didn't like him. He didn't like Nuno expecting him to behave like a reasonable adult. Now the club are rethinking the signing as they want and expect to be winning and Benzema is turning out to be a bit of a hindrance.

In Henderson's case, he is not really enjoying being there. The team is struggling, he is not performing well and it is more a case of both sides looking for a way out. If the team had been flying high and him playing well, I am sure there would have been a lot less issues. But your team is losing and you are personally having a poor time on the pitch makes you feel miserable anyway. Add that to the abuse he is taking etc, it is little wonder he is not finding it all that enjoyable.

A lot of the players there are simply not performing well - it is the lack of discipline that is an issue. Unless you have that self-discipline Cristiano Ronaldo has, it is difficult to motivate yourself to keep going when you are out there. There is no one kicking their backsides into line, they are treated like royalty. It was the same in the old American league when Pele etc were there. There were too many big names given license to do what they like and it caused friction between the team itself and ruins the professionalism. They need managers like Nuno there, ones who will treat the stars like the rest of the players. Once that happens it will stabilise. If that happens. But first they need to get over the hump of these being 'stars' and start realising they are players first and foremost and treating them like players rather than stars.}

1.) 08 Jan 2024
08 Jan 2024 09:29:55
I think you’re spot on Ed. The likes of Benzema have gone out there to take a huge payday and expect they can just chill out and not have to work too hard for it and the Saudis are allowing them to get away with it.

Probably because they expected that these guys would have some professionalism being that they have reached the very top of the game. As we all know though the vast majority of footballers have been idolised for their entire lives and need constant management. Give them an inch and they will take a mile.

Throwing money at sportsmen in general very rarely gets you what you expect as Chelsea are finding out now. It’s human nature for most people that when you are comfortable financially your motivation wanes and staying behind in training to get an edge isn’t important anymore.

Unless you have an elite mindset like a Ronaldo or a Mo Salah.

{Ed001's Note - difficult to have sympathy with the Sauds as they caused their own problems. They should have done their research on the players they were signing, rather than just getting the biggest names they could.}

2.) 08 Jan 2024
08 Jan 2024 09:37:45
Ed1 wow amazing how a player like Benzema as that much so called power but as you say he is being found out himself now? I think that's the impressive thing about Klopp he seems to pick the right characters to buy into his collective.

{Ed001's Note - there is just research done (usually anyway) on a player's background. It reduces the risk of the wrong type of person coming in.}

3.) 08 Jan 2024
08 Jan 2024 09:49:01
Ed01, many said at the time that the Saudi league would/ could go the same way as the Chinese League went a decade or so ago. I thought cos the Saudi govt. is sitting on billions, the money would never run out hence, it wouldn't cos that is what killed the Chinese League, I think. Now the money has not run out BUT it seems, other things have cropped up. Are we seeing the demise of the Saudi league before it fully takes off? Only time will tell.

{Ed001's Note - no, they will learn and adapt. They will just continue to spend and build on what they have until they get a super league together with the top sides from around Europe and Asia. That is the plan I believe.}

4.) 08 Jan 2024
08 Jan 2024 10:48:19
Great feedback thanks ED1, i think the desired super league won't be far away tbh definitely within the next few years. Im sure the Saudis will learn once they get over this hiccup, but i don't know what the players expected!

{Ed001's Note - I think the players just expected to have a nice relaxing time earning huge sums of money and not need to try to be head and shoulders above their teammates. They are finding that they still need to work hard if they want to be better than them though and that wasn't in the plan.}

5.) 08 Jan 2024
08 Jan 2024 12:16:18
Ed01 then if that is the case then, Saudi have the dough to make such dreams come true. I guess the demise of the Saudi league is hugely exaggerated at this point.

{Ed001's Note - the thing is with the way they think is that they invest the money looking for a return for their grandkids and their grandkids children etc. They do not look short term when they do these things. So no, I don't see their league going away, I just see them looking at a long term plan to expand on the Club World Cup. That is what I think is happening. First they have to make their own league a credible league, which requires bringing in quality players, which is what they are in the middle of doing now. I can't see them giving it up any time before their World Cup at the earliest.}