Jamie Carragher has sounded alarm bells over the number of professional footballers in their peak years who are being linked with moves to Saudi Arabian sides, claiming ‘this sports washing needs to be stopped.’
It came after Bernardo Silva has reportedly been given a ‘lucrative opportunity to join a Saudi Pro League club’, with Carragher also calling the potential move a ‘game changer’. Saudi Pro League sides have made their presence known in the transfer market of late, swooping in to secure several slightly older players including Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante and Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.
According to Marca, the 30-year-old midfielder is said to be ‘on the cusp of a move to the Middle East’ and is one of many top talents, including Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy, who could leave the Premier League for Saudi Arabia this summer.
‘Saudi have taken over Golf, the big Boxing fights & now they want to take over football!! This sports washing needs to be stopped!’ Carragher’s comments come after his colleague, Gary Neville, demanded the Premier League urgently investigate the big-money deals and offers Saudi Arabian sides have made.
Clubs across Europe have called for ‘fair market investigations’ into Saudi Arabia’s big-money signings, and Sky pundit, Carragher, has stressed his concerns over the country’s increasing advances into golf, football and boxing.
Ruben Neves is the latest player set to be on the verge of a move to the Middle Eastern state, despite long -standing rumours that the Portuguese midfielder could have joined Barcelona.
Bernardo Silva is reportedly on the cusp of a move to Saudia Arabia in what’s being termed a ‘lucrative opportunity’ ‘Bernardo Silva is in his peak years & has been one of the best players in Europe for the last five years!’ Carragher wrote on Twitter. ‘I wasn’t worried about the Saudi League taking players in their 30’s, a touch worried with players below the elite (Ruben Neves) but if this happens it feels like a game changer.
He wrote on his Insatagram: ‘Get a Regulator in asap that’s agile enough to stop these things at source! If it doesn’t look right it’s probably not right! Independence is required asap. The Governance of our game is a mess.’
Mail Sport understands that Romelu Lukaku, another player who is still in his prime, has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi club Al-Hilal, with the 30-year-old striker having previously held talks with representatives of the Pro League side.
Carragher’s comments also come after golf’s bombshell announcement two weeks ago that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour would be merging with LIV Golf, in a new commercial alliance that would see the Saudi Arabian Pacific Investment fund provide funding for the joint enterprise.
Meanwhile, questions have also been raised over the country’s involvement in professional boxing, with Frank Warren in an exclusive interview with Mail Sport claiming the Kingdom had held up several world heavyweight mega fights.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia are able to sign players until September 20, and that could have a big impact on the top-flight throughout the summer and into the autumn, with the lure of big pay checks being a tempting offer for many stars around the league.
Alvaro Morata is another player who has been linked with a move to Al-Hilal, alongside Chelsea’s Kalidou Koulibaly, while Callum Hudson-Odoi has also been ‘approached by multiple Saudi clubs’.
After Cristiano Ronaldo agreed a marquee move to Al-Nassr at the end of 2022, it seems several younger players are starting to have their heads turned. Neves is perhaps the most significant of those names at 26-years-old, and should he move to the Middle East, will turn down the chance to play high-quality football with Wolves or even Barcelona.
