Just a year ago, if somebody asked Premier League managers what is their biggest wish (apart from more money for transfers), the vast majority would say that the shortest transfer window, which ends before the season starts would be the best. European window in most countries ends on September 1st, giving plenty of opportunities to desperate (and rich) clubs to disrupt other teams by taking their players at the deadline. But now, in the middle of Saudi Arabia’s raid on European players, a new horror has emerged.🗣️ Jurgen Klopp was not expecting Jordan Henderson departure pic.twitter.com/iJX8QZG2s7— 101 Great Goals (@101greatgoals) July 29, 2023 Saudi Arabia league’s transfer deadline is on September 20th, almost three weeks after disclosure in Europe, and for managers like Jurgen Klopp, it’s very unfortunate thing. Unlike Chelsea, who were lucky to deal with Saudi Arabia clubs, offloading players who they didn’t need, Liverpool lost its two starters, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, and the German coach not happy to realize that he will have to look to the Saudis market with one eye, even when September comes. Fabinho may not be able to walk his French bulldogs, but a tiger will do just fineSpeaking ahead of the pre-season game with Bayern Munich, Klopp talked about this potential impact on his team, and urged the world’s highest governing bodies to do something about it. “The influence of Saudi Arabia? We will see. I don’t know. At the moment it looks like they have quite an influence, it is massive. I think that pretty much the worst thing is that the transfer window in Saudi Arabia is open for three weeks longer. If I am right, I heard something like that. Then, at least in Europe, that’s not helpful. So UEFA and FIFA must find solutions for that. But in the end, I don’t know at this moment exactly what will happen. It is already influential, for us, for sure. We will have to learn to deal with it, but that’s what we do. That’s pretty much all I can say about it, time will show” said the German. Instead of partying, Gakpo spent his holiday doing charity work in AfricaUnlike Klopp, his German counterpart Thomas Tuchel wasn’t so worried when asked about Saudis ‘aggression’. That probably has something to do with the fact that no Saudi Arabia clubs went after his Bayern players. Al-Nassr is on the verge of signing Sadio Mane, but the player was already surplus to requirements, so the Saudis basically did a favor to the Bavarians and Tuchel. Maybe Bayern’s coach would give a different answer if they wanted Kimmich, Gnabry or Coman. “I’m just observing the situation, which is a very new situation. It’s maybe a bit similar to the situation when China started their league. It’s kind of a similar gold rush there and we’re experiencing the next league which tries to become more popular, more famous and tries to build a brand by signing a lot of quality players and coaches. It’s a completely new situation and a bit too early for me to have a clear opinion. So I’m an observer, a surprised observer” said Tuchel. ##NAJAVA_MECA_7403134##
