Saudi Pro League faces COLLAPSE as another star joins Benzema and Henderson in wanting out

Robin Bairner

• 22 Jan 2024 08:44 GMT
• 3 min read

The queue of players who are seeking to leave the Saudi Pro League continues to grow after Jordan Henderson secured a transfer to Ajax last week, further adding to the doubt over the long-term viability of the division.

Henderson, who completed a surprise move to Ajax, was one of just a number of players who had moved to Saudi Arabia on big money in the summer only to regret their decision, with Karim Benzema also seeking an exit path from the big-spending league and reports that Roberto Firmino is also unsettled.

Now Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has admitted that he wishes he had not left Lazio in the summer to move to Al-Hilal.

The Serbia international midfielder, who was for so long linked with a move to Manchester United, bumped into his Lazio teammates at the airport in Riyadh on Saturday and, according to Il Messaggero, told his friends in the squad: “I miss you so much. I would like to return to Lazio.”

Milinkovic-Savic far from alone

Milinkovic-Savic only completed a switch to the Saudi Pro League in the summer, when he moved to Al-Hilal in a deal worth €40 million. He signed a contract that still has two-and-a-half years to run.

His disquiet is far from unique, with barely any big-name players who joined a Saudi Pro League club last summer finding life easy in the new climate.

Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr appears to be a notable exception to the rule, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner being treated like a prince in Saudi Arabia and lapping up the attention that he has received.

The struggles of such a long line of players to adapt, despite the huge salaries that they are receiving, undoubtedly raises questions of the Saudi Pro League’s ability to match Europe’s major divisions, and particularly the Premier League, in the long term.