Mohamed Salah pursuit proves Saudi Arabia is the biggest threat European football has ever known

Mohamed Salah is one of the highest ranked players targeted by the Saudi Arabian Pro League. Photo: Getty Images/Joe Pryor

It was in Monaco in 2003 at the Champions League draw, David Dein said the most memorable phrase, describing the threat posed by an unknown billionaire who had just bought Chelsea.

“Roman Abramovich has parked his Russian tank in our front garden and is firing £50 notes at us,” the then Arsenal vice-chairman said, although it was surprising how he managed to covertly thwart Chelsea’s attempt to poach Thierry Henry for £50m. £.

Twenty years later, Liverpool are desperate to do the same when it comes to their star player Mohamed Salah. Al-Ittihad does not issue £50 notes, but launches a flurry of financial artillery in an attempt to bring the attacker into the Saudi Arabian professional league.

Without a doubt, Abramovich has changed the face of the prime minister. League and was the first of the truly large foreign investors. But even if he made his money in murky circumstances, from state assets, he was not a country, he was not a whole league.

Today, owning football is not a toy of the rich, but one with deep geopolitical consequences. Make no mistake, the actions of the Saudis represent one of the greatest existential threats that European football and, of course, the Premier League has ever faced.

The Saudis are trying to be as flexible as possible. On deadline day, they tried to win one of the biggest names in world football from one of the biggest and most legendary clubs. Despite being turned down and although Liverpool remain adamant, the Saudi transfer window won't close until September 7th. replacement?

Like LIV Golf, the Saudi Pro League is growing at a tremendous pace. He only became fully professional 16 years ago and last year the biggest foreign stars were the likes of Odion Ighalo, Ahmed Hegazy and Ever Banega. When Cristiano Ronaldo fled there last December, the rest of the world laughed up his sleeve, even if they admired the money he was making.

Since his move to Saudi Arabia last December, many big names have joined Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo: Getty Images/Fayez Nureldine

No — one is laughing now. It's one thing for players in their thirties like Roberto Firmino, H'Golo Kante, Jordan Henderson and even Karim Benzema and Neymar to go to Saudi Arabia. Looks like it's the last big day of the paycheck.

But the wake-up calls should have sounded when Ruben Neves and Riyad Mahrez followed, and more recently Aymeric Laporte and Alexander Mitrovic. These are Premier League players in their prime who have left the self-proclaimed best league in the world.

In Spain, Celta Vigo's Gabri Veiga decided to join Al Ahli, earning a rebuke from Real Madrid. Toni Kroos. Why? Veiga is only 21 years old and has been one of the most talented players in La Liga, receiving offers from a number of top European clubs. But he missed them.

This means that UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin's statement that the Saudi league «does not pose a threat, we have seen a similar approach in China», which «bought players at the end of their career by offering them a lot of money», sounds like Nero is reaching out to his violin. Similarly, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters stated that he was not bothered by it. It should be like this.

This is a grand power grab, and no one knows how it will end. Salah may be 31 years old, but he is in his prime and just signed a new long-term deal with Liverpool last year.

Just last month, his spokesman Rami Abbas Issa tweeted: “If we had considered leaving the LFC last year, we would not have renewed the contract last summer. Mohamed remains loyal to the LFC.”

But the Saudis, while they no doubt enjoy the fuss and hype they cause, they certainly won't go through Salah without support.

If Salah leaves, no European league or club will be safe. Either way, they are probably not safe. If he doesn't leave now, then maybe he will leave next year. Kylian Mbappe refused to leave even though Paris Saint-Germain accepted a £259m world record offer, but Saudi Arabia already has a critical mass of established players, meaning the threat is serious, especially for the Premier League.

Already three Liverpool players have left and a fourth is strongly connected in Sadio Mane. Thiago Alcantara turned them down, and the Saudis also showed interest in Joe Gomez and Ibrahim Konata.

It's not for nothing that they are pursuing these players. The Premier League is the biggest and most popular league in the world, and Liverpool is one of the greatest clubs. But now they are all vulnerable.

England has lost players to Italy or Spain from time to time. Jude Bellingham chose Real Madrid over the Premier League. Harry Kane is currently in Germany. But these are special cases. In the case of the Saudi Pro League, we are seeing massive raids on stars. Salah is the biggest player they tried to sign from England.

Of course players from all over the world come to the Premier League because it's a very well organized, well organized competition and life in England is good. But no one should delude themselves that they come here mainly not for money. And if the money is better in Saudi Arabia and there are already enough of their teammates, compatriots and stars, then they will follow.