“Basically there are no sporting reasons” – Barcelona president Joan Laporta hits out at Saudi Pro League transfers
Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently hit out at the Saudi Pro League transfers, claiming that players are not joining the league for sporting reasons.
The SPL has gained a tremendous amount of popularity since Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr as a free agent on December 31, 2022. Household names of European football like Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Eduardo Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marcelo Brozovic, Sadio Mane, and more have joined the league.
Laporta, however, thinks that the root of their interest is something beyond the sporting projects. Speaking on the matter, the Barcelona president said (via Barca Universal):
"When a player, and with all respect, prefers to go to Saudi Arabia, basically there are no sporting reasons. You know, there are other reasons... And the sporting reasons must be the priority."
A few of Barca's transfer targets, Ruben Neves and Marcelo Brozovic, have also completed moves to the SPL. The financial benefits offered to the players by the SPL clubs are massive. It's tough for even top European clubs to match the salaries and transfer fees offered by the Saudi clubs. Barca, given their current bleak financial condition, are in no condition to compete with the SPL sides.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta spoke about the club's identity
While their current financial situation has made it difficult for Barcelona to register new signings, the club's history and reputation in world football remain intact. Few teams can match the Catalan giants' legacy.
Hence, they have still managed to rope in top talents like Ilkay Gundogan and Robert Lewandowski despite the team's lack of monetary fluency. Joan Laporta spoke about the situation, telling (via Barca Universal):
“Fortunately, most of the players like Football Club Barcelona. They like our club for the way that we manage the club, for the kind of players that we had in the past and in the present.”
Further speaking about the team's philosophy, Laporta said:
"Cruyff, Pep, Xavi. They belong to the same school and they share the same philosophy; the Cruyff philosophy.”
Barca are one of the top teams in world football in terms of their history and achievements. Hence, players, more often than not, decide to join the club to create a legacy in their careers.