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Al Ahli did go for other players but it turns out the Englishman showned them greenlights on time. Ivan Toney is average player but based on his exceptional abilities, I think he’s gradually turning to be world class player, although he played for average club like Brentford. European players have ditched into the SPL and seeing it as a league for their retirement in their football career. First it was the China league, now we’re watching the Saudi Arabia Pro League housing these players mostly the big names, players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and more players.
They were thinking about Osimhen for 80 million, but when Ivan Toney was available for half that price, it was a no brainer to accept that offer of course. I think it's quite important to remember that this is going to be a league that will continue to spend a lot of money but they try to pay the money to players and not to teams, so transfer budget is mostly about the salary, which is why they preferred to get Toney instead of Osimhen.
I think retirement is true for some of the older players, but we are starting to see players that are 32-33 years old or younger that come here too, if they can stay here and make ten times more than what they make at Europe, then some of the players are happy to be here instead of Europe. Not everyone will be convinced to come here like how Kroos rejected, but some will be happy to take the money.
I think Ivan Toney decision to move to the Saudi Pro League with Al Ahli is the right move financially, he would never have earned a salary of 403 thousand pounds per week if he had still played in Europe, although on the other hand his career with the England National Team is threatened. With a 4-season contract, Ivan Toney can generate a fairly large income, he is taking advantage of the opportunity well. The Saudi Pro League will develop over time, with abundant finances they can achieve their goal of building a more competitive League. It is no wonder that in the future every top European player will be tempted to leave, the offer of a fantastic salary is certainly the main attraction.
Some players who refuse to continue their careers in Saudi are likely to have stable finances and it is possible that they are tied to a long-term sponsor contract, some also refuse it for family reasons. However, I tend to believe that most of them will take the offer to play in Saudi, and will not miss the opportunity that comes even though they are still relatively young.