Karim Benzema came to Al-Ittihad last season and caused mayhem in the Arab world. A prolific striker with loads of trophies with Real Madrid was the centre of attention from the start, but his displays since his arrival have not been as good as expected. Above all, he wants to be the main star in every sense of the word and so far, he has managed to do so: just look at the coaches who got sacked after trying to discipline him: Nuno Espírito Santo and Marcelo Gallardo, both in just one year. But the Al Ittihad owners are not giving up on the Real legend and in fact, they are now building the whole team around him. In came his countryman Laurent Blanc as a coach and today Moussa Diaby arrived from Aston Villa. Diaby is a Tiger 🐅 pic.twitter.com/ddqAFQ99cj— Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) July 24, 2024 The deal is official and the Saudi club announced it through its social media channels. A year ago, Aston Villa signed Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen, making him their marquee acquisition. They paid 55,000,000 euros for him but couldn’t keep him despite qualifying for the reformed Champions League. They gave in to the approach from Al Ittihad but managed to negotiate more money than they expected and ended up with a profit as they sold him for 60 million. It’s clear that overall when factoring in his salary, Aston Villa didn’t operate at a profit. However, Moussa Diaby had a huge impact on the team’s performance last season, making the investment worthwhile. The Frenchman, who holds a Malian passport, scored ten goals and provided nine assists in 54 matches for the Villa Park team, significantly contributing to their qualification for the Champions League.Moussa Diabby’s dilemma: Champions League football or Saudi millions?All in all, Birmingham can be satisfied with the outcome. And so can Moussa Diaby, who is obviously going for the money. There is no other reason for leaving the Premier League and going to the desert in your prime. He landed in Saudi Arabia, underwent medical checks, and then signed a five-year contract. Therefore, he is expected to stay in the Middle East until 2029. He won’t be earning a small amount, either. He secured a fixed salary of 12,500,000 pounds per season, along with bonuses. If he stays for the full duration, he will earn 85,000,000 euros.##NAJAVA_MECA_8232819##
