What has happened to Saudi Pro League's big spending?

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in December 2022

The 2024-25 Saudi Pro League season kicks off on Thursday, 22 August. A year ago, it seemed there was a star player arriving in Riyadh, Jeddah and elsewhere on a daily basis.

In all, more than £700m was spent on the likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema and Riyad Mahrez among others who joined Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle East.

If there were expectations that this summer would be as free-spending as the last, they have not yet been met, though there has been a general downturn in the wider transfer market.

"It has been a relatively quiet summer across global football," Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at Skema Business School in Paris, told BBC Sport.

Chadwick attributes it to "a combination of harsh economic conditions, the late finishing of continental national team tournaments, and clubs across various territories trying to navigate local financial regulations".

While there have been links to Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr, there has yet to be an earth-shattering transfer deal in Saudi Arabia this summer.

Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney is the latest name of interest, with the Bees rejecting a £35m bid for the 28-year-old from Al-Ahli last week.

"The problem with spending big on expensive imported talent is that sustaining it means continuing to do so in perpetuity," added Chadwick.

"This is expensive, doesn't guarantee success, can engender instability, and undermines national-team performances.

"Inside Saudi Arabian football there is likely to be some more considered and strategic thinking right now, compared to two years ago."

There is plenty of existing star power in the country however, with most of the big names still there. The league sent 14 players to the European Championship this summer, including Merih Demiral - Al-Ahli's Turkey centre-back.

"We showed everyone that the Saudi Pro League is not an easy league," Demiral told BBC Sport.

"We are working very hard here - our training and our games are not easy like many people think."

The 'big four'

Al-Ahli are one of the 'big four', owned by the same country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) that backs Newcastle United and finished third in the Saudi Pro League last season.

Al-Hilal were dominant and strolled to a 19th domestic league title, finishing 14 points clear of Al-Nassr, and extending their own world record for consecutive match wins to 34.

Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ruben Neves arrived from Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Serbia forward was outscored only by Ronaldo, and Neves was out-assisted only by Mahrez, while the defence which included Kalidou Koulibaly was miserly.

The big question is when Neymar, who played just five games before damaging knee ligaments in October, will be back. September is the hope.

Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr ended the season empty-handed despite scoring 100 goals and finishing 17 points above Al-Ahli in third.

The fact that Al-Nassr were a winning machine has not stopped the pressure on coach Luis Castro after a poor pre-season, which culminated on Saturday in a 4-1 defeat by Al-Hilal in the Super Cup final.

Ronaldo will once again dominate the headlines, though it remains to be seen if he can match his 35 goals last season - a league record. The 39-year-old has the likes of Sadio Mane, Aymeric Laporte and Marcelo Brozovic alongside him.

Jeddah's Al-Ittihad were deserved champions in 2022-23, but finished fifth last year despite signing N’Golo Kante, Benzema and Fabinho. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo did not last long, and neither did his successor Marcelo Gallardo.

The Argentine has been replaced by Laurent Blanc. With no Asian Champions League commitments and the signing of Moussa Diaby from Aston Villa for about £50m in the summer's biggest deal so far, fans are expectant.

Former Barcelona and Paris St-Germain forward Neymar joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal last August in a deal worth £77.5m plus add-ons

Neighbours Al-Ahli also have attacking riches with Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Firas Al-Buraikan, the league's leading Saudi scorer.

Allan Saint-Maximin has left for Fenerbahce in Turkey, but there are signs in pre-season that former Liverpool forward Firmino, not at his best last time around, is looking sharp.

The club's famous army of green-clad fans will want the third-place finish under 36-year-old German coach Matthias Jaissle to be a platform for a title challenge this time.

"Our fans are really amazing because, especially when we go to away games, they come out in huge numbers - like 20,000 people every game," said Demiral.

"This is so good for us, especially as players, because we feel their support all the time. In the Saudi Pro League there aren't any fans like ours, which is why we're so lucky."

Overall however, the league will be hoping to improve on last season's average attendance of just over 8,000. The big four are by far the best supported, and improving the numbers in the rest of the league is a priority.

Aubameyang among new names

It is the same on the pitch. Since Al-Ettifaq's 1987 title, only two clubs have broken the stranglehold of the big four - Al-Fateh and Al-Shabab, who finished seventh and eighth last season.

Al-Taawoun actually took fourth, but will be hard-pressed to repeat that feat. Steven Gerrard led Al-Ettifaq to sixth and has since brought in goalkeeper Merek Rodak from Fulham.

Much attention will be on Al-Qadsiah, promoted last season. The team from the eastern city of Al-Khobar were taken over by Aramco, the country's state-owned oil company - one of the richest in the world in terms of revenue.

Robbie Fowler was fired despite eight unbeaten games at the start of the season, and his successor Michel led the team to the top tier.

In order to compete, the club have been busy. In attack Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has come in from Marseille, and he is joined by Spanish centre-back Nacho who signed from Real Madrid.

There is a strong Spanish-speaking contingent with Mexican international Julian Quinones, Andre Carrillo from Peru, Uruguay's Nahitan Nandez and Argentina Under-23s midfielder Ezequiel Fernandez.