Following Neymar and Malcolm: which of the stars of European football decided to continue his career in Saudi Arabia

Al-Shabab

Acquired: Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco (Atlético).

How much spent: €15 million.

Unlike the giants of the Saudi Pro League, the club from Riyadh for a long time could not boast of large acquisitions. Until the beginning of September, Metz graduate Khabib Diallo, who has defended the colors of Strasbourg in recent years, remained in the status of the most noticeable newcomer. However, at the end of the period of additional applications, the "white lions" still forced to draw attention to themselves, laying out a relatively large amount for Atletico winger Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco. And although he clearly surpasses the Senegalese in status, he cost € 3 million cheaper.

But if for Al-Shabab itself the arrival of such a high-status athlete can be called historic, then for Ferreira-Carrasco, leaving for money in not the most football countries is an ordinary thing. In 2018, he unexpectedly left Madrid and went to the Chinese "Dalian Yifan", where he was guaranteed more favorable conditions, and five and a half years later he repeated this trick.

And, unlike many colleagues, he did not hide his main motivation. According to the player, he "chose safety", because there was only a year left before the end of his current contract with Atletico, and he did not receive other offers. Although it's hard to believe that there would be no demand for such a performer. Last season, Yannick recorded ten goals and five assists in all competitions, and his age allows him to perform at a high level for several more years.

Al-Ittifaq

Acquired: Demarai Gray (Everton) and Jorginho Wijnaldum (Paris Saint-Germain)

How much they spent in total: €17.3 million.

In the summer, the team from Dammam has already managed to make noise in the market. And if the purchases of Jack Hendry and Moussa Dembele seemed commonplace, then the arrival of the Liverpool symbol of recent years, Jordan Henderson, was a landmark event. But the "knights of Dehna" did not stop there and in the last month they were strengthened by two more famous football players. And both are somehow connected with Merseyside. Demarai Gray has defended the colors of Everton for the past two years, and Jorginho Wijnaldum played at Anfield before Paris Saint-Germain.

The Dutchman's decision can hardly come as a surprise. He did not succeed in becoming his own at PSG, and even injuries overshadowed the last stage of his career. In the last year alone, he missed a total of 178 days due to injuries and failed to properly prove himself at Roma. And in November, Wijnaldum will celebrate his 33rd birthday, therefore, there may not be a better time to leave for work.

With Gray, things are a little more complicated. Last season, he played 2511 minutes for Everton in the Premier League alone, scored four goals and gave one assist. But then he quarreled with head coach Sean Dyche. According to the coach, the winger did not want to train and showed a desire to leave Goodison Park. And he achieved his goal. But it is difficult to say how logical a voyage to Saudi Arabia at the age of 27 can be called.

Al-Ittihad

Acquired by: Luis Felipe (Real Betis).

How much spent: €22 million.

The situation is similar in the case of the transfer of an Italian defender with Brazilian roots. In the summer, the reigning champion of Saudi Arabia conducted a large-scale campaign. Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Fabinho and Jota Neves joined the squad, making the team's middle and attacking lines one of the most complete in the league. And at the end of the period of additional applications, the club also thought about defense. Luis Felipe, who only a year ago exchanged Lazio for Betis, is called upon to cement it. There he was the main one, and in the current championship he played all the matches from bell to bell. But at the age of 26 he gave up his career in Europe.

But in this case, the surprise is caused not only by the athlete himself, but also by the team management. After all, in order to enter Felipe in the application, they were forced to exclude the recently invited Jota from it. But he cost them even more - € 29.1 million In the future, the agreement with him may be completely broken. So far, the reason for this has not been named, but the media write that it may lie in his "lifestyle", or rather in rumors about his sexual orientation.

Al-Hilal

Acquired: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) and Yassine Bono (Sevilla).

How much they spent in total: €73.6 million.

The most titled team in the country became the record holder of this summer in terms of spending. In total, Al-Hilal invested more than €350 million in newcomers, the lion's share of which came from Neymar, Malcolm, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. But until September 7, Al-Hilal pulled off a couple of big deals, strengthening the attacking and goalkeeping positions. Aleksandar Mitrovic was bought to replace Moussa Marega, who became a free agent, and Yassine Bono took his place in the frame. Moreover, the Serb had to pay as much as € 52.6 million - a record sale for Fulham. Previously, this title was held by the transfer of Ryan Sessegnon to Tottenham (€ 27 million).

At the same time, in the case of Mitrovic's departure, there was a scandal. "Cottagers" clearly did not want to part with their top scorer and put a high price tag on him, which infuriated the striker himself. He even refused to train, in every possible way demonstrating a desire to exchange Foggy Albion for the Middle East as soon as possible. As a result, the Serb achieved his goal and has already begun to justify the status of a scoring striker in the new league. In three matches for Al-Hilal, he scored four times himself, and once again assisted his partner.

But if Mitrovic was not particularly interested in Europe (which is strange), then Bono was in great demand. In the summer, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, who lost Thibaut Courtois and Manuel Neuer due to injuries, were thinking about acquiring him. However, Madrid subsequently opted for Kepa Arrizabalaga, and the Munich team did not want to buy out the agreement of the Tunisian. At that moment, Al-Hilal appeared on the horizon, unfastening € 21 million for it.

Al-Ahly

Acquired: Gabri Veiga (Celta), Merih Demiral (Atalanta), Roger Ibáñez (Roma) and Franck Kessier (Barcelona).

How much they spent in total: €102.5 million.

Unlike competitors, until the closure of the transfer window, the pace did not slow down Al-Ahly. By that time, the club from Jeddah had managed to get Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Allen Saint-Maximin and Edouard Mendy, but over the past month it has acquired the same number of star legionnaires. The center of defense was strengthened by Merih Demiral and Roger Ibáñez from Atalanta and Roma, respectively, the defensive zone by Franck Kessier from Barcelona, but the most discussed was the purchase of Gabri Veiga. For him, Celta gained € 40 million - more than Al-Ahly did not spend on a single player in its history.

The departure of 21-year-old Veiga to the Middle East caused a huge resonance in the community. A few months ago, the Spaniard was wooed to Real Madrid, among the contenders for the young talent were Barcelona, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and in August his transfer to Napoli was considered almost a fait accompli. The Neapolitans agreed to pay a total of €36 million for him, but at the last moment he preferred Al-Ahly. In this situation, even Toni Kroos, who is usually extremely correct in his statements, could not restrain himself, calling the midfielder's decision a "disgrace".

Al-Nasr

Acquired: Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Otavio (Porto) and Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich).

How much they spent in total: €117.5 million.

However, the main player in the market in the last month was the team of Cristiano Ronaldo. In total, about €165 million was spent on recruits over the summer, and the lion's share of them was spent in August-September. The first sign was Sadio Mane, who had already managed to win the club Arab Champions Cup with Al-Nasr. And later he was joined by Aymeric Laporte and Otaviu. And if you believe the rumors, it was his star compatriot who pushed through the transfer of the Portuguese. Perhaps that is why the Saudis did not stop when Porto demanded €60 million for the midfielder, although they originally planned to pay a third less for him.

As for the Spaniard, his decision is difficult to understand, but still possible. Last season, due to injuries, he dropped out of the Manchester City base and subsequently remained a rotation player. And only partially participated in the conquest of the legendary treble. And when Josko Gvardiol joined the squad in the summer, Laporte's prospects became even more vague. The defender himself clearly did not want to sit on the bench.

However, as expected, there was a high demand for his person not only in the Middle East, but also in Europe. Arsenal and Juventus wanted to see him, and Athletic almost returned the former footballer. As President John Uriarte later admitted, the Basques almost agreed with City, but Al-Nasr intervened. The "lions" understood that they were not able to bargain with the Saudis, so they curtailed negotiations.