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Football fans around the world have expressed concern after former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino completed his move to the Saudi Professional League. Cristiano Ronaldo has been cited as a catalyst for the movement that has seen many high level European players join the Saudi outfit.
Firmino is set to sign a deal with Al-Ahly. According to Fabrizio Romano, the 31-year-old, whose contract with Liverpool expired this summer, will sign a three-year contract and is set to join former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy there.
Fans were concerned that the Saudi league was able to put out exorbitant offers for players to persuade them to join. Here are some fan reactions from Instagram:
“Never forget @Cristiano started it all 🐐”
“Why…Saudi football is banned. Football will be destroyed because of the Saudis.”
“The Saudi League destroys football 💔”
“Money is everything”
“But I think Bobby still has a lot to offer in Europe. He can go to Saudi Arabia. Now that 35-man Bobby hasn’t signed a deal now, he can still add the Champions League trophy to his name.”
“Ronaldo was right, the Saudi League will one day be fifth in the world.”
Along with Firmino and Ronaldo, the Saudi Professional League will now be home to the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves and Marcelo Brozovic.
The Premier League star’s deal for Cristiano Ronaldo in Al Nasr is in jeopardy
The transfer of Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech to Al-Nasr Club in the Saudi Professional League raises doubts due to medical problems. According to journalist Santi Aouna, Cristiano Ronaldo’s team expressed concern about the Moroccan star’s knee injury.
The knee problem arose in the January transfer window when Ziyech was close to a move to Paris Saint-Germain. The Ligue 1 team was carrying out a medical for the 30-year-old when he picked up a knee injury. However, they decided to pursue a loan move for him, which eventually collapsed after an administrative error was made by Chelsea.
Despite his country’s impressive performance in the World Cup, Ziyech failed to make an impact with the Blues this season. He is said to be keen on a move elsewhere and joining Ronaldo at Al-Nassr was expected to be a fresh start for the player.
Ziyech joined Chelsea from Ajax in 2020 in a deal worth £37m. He’s been largely out of favor this season, especially due to a bloated squad of more than 30 players for the Blues. This season he has played only 24 games with the team and has three assists. He played 107 games overall, scoring 14 goals and 13 assists.
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