Benzema and five stars who could emulate Henderson and QUIT Saudi Arabia in January

Carlo Garganese

• 23 Jan 2024 12:49 GMT
• 5 min read

In 2023, Saudi Arabia emerged as a new financial superpower when it comes to club football.

It is all part of a huge financial investment by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in not only football but sport in general. Golf and boxing have already witnessed massive investment and now it is football's turn.

In 2023, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) - Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund - which is overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, took over four of the biggest clubs in the kingdom. These are the Riyadh-based Al Nassr and Al Hilal, and the Jeddah-based Al Ittihad and Al Ahli.

As a result these teams have a fortune to spend in the coming years. And many other Saudi teams are also splashing the cash.

This resulted in a host of the world’s best footballers moving to Saudi Arabia in 2023, including Cristiano Ronaldo, N'Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, Neymar, and many more.

But while many of these stars have settled in to life to Saudi Arabia well, others have not.

Just over six months after joining, a number of well-paid footballers are already looking to leave Saudi Arabia, with Jordan Henderson already having terminated his contract at Al-Ettifaq to join Ajax after just half-a-season in the Pro League.

Here are three players who could follow Henderson's suit and quit in January.

Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad)

Karim Benzema is believed to be keen on a return to Europe after a disappointing time in Saudi Arabia so far, despite scoring nine times in 15 games for Al Ittihad.

Benzema has repeatedly missed training and was left out of the club's mid-season tour by manager Marcelo Gallardo after failing to turn up on the day the players were meant to return from their holidays.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal have been linked with a loan move for the veteran, while former clubs Real Madrid and Lyon are also said to be interested in signing him as a stopgap option.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al-Hilal)

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was another player who disappointed teams in Europe by opting to move to Saudi Arabia, having long been linked with transfers to major sides during his time at Lazio.

The Serbian was known for his goalscoring record from midfield and joined Al-Hilal for €40 million but despite playing a key part in their title charge this season, Milinkovic-Savic is said to be unhappy in the Saudi Arabia.

The 28-year-old is believed to have told teammates he regrets his transfer and is looking to move back to Europe after failing to settle in the country.

Roberto Firmino (Al-Ahli)

Another Liverpool legend, Roberto Firmino has reportedly been 'offered to several clubs' just six months after arriving at Al-Ahli.

The Brazilian forward said an emotional farewell to Liverpool in the summer after the expiration of his contract.

Despite a bright start that saw him net a hattrick on his debut, the 32-year-old's time at Al-Ahli has been underwhelming, to say the least. In fact, he hasn't scored a single goal since opening day.

So bad has Firmino been, he has only featured as a substitute in his last seven games despite being the club captain. Now, it is claimed that the forward has been offered to other clubs in a bid to offload him.

Turkish clubs are said to be interested in the Brazilian and, more intriguingly, so are promoted outfit Sheffield United.

Gabriel Veiga (Al Ahli)

Gabriel Veiga rejected Italian champions Napoli in order to join Al-Ahli in a €30m move in the summer of 2023 in a transfer that Real Madrid star Toni Kroos labelled as 'embarrassing'.

While the majority of players targeted by the Saudi Pro League were established, high-reputation stars who were perhaps on the tail end of their careers, Veiga’s transfer was the first time a youngster had spurned European interest in exchange for the riches of the Middle East.

The 21-year-old had become a breakout star for Celta, scoring 11 times in La Liga last season and grabbing four assists, which led to interest from the likes of Chelsea, Barcelona and Liverpool.

However, despite improving in the last month or so, Veiga has had a miserable time in Saudi Arabia so far. He is reportedly unhappy off the pitch and already wants to return to Europe.

Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr)

Aymeric Laporte admitted earlier this month that several star players were 'dissatisfied' with life in Saudi Arabia after their lucrative transfers in the summer.

While the Frenchman insisted he had not decided to leave yet, the defender revealed his dissatisfaction at the quality of life in the country and the expectations that he believed had not been met.

Laporte hinted on social media that his words had been taken out of context but it would not be surprising if he did eventually push for an exit.