Signing some of the biggest names in world football meant many of the existing foreign players in the Saudi Pro League had to depart for pastures new, with several names finding new homes elsewhere in Asian football.

 

AFC Champions League winner Moussa Marega left Al Hilal SFC to join UAE side Sharjah FC who will be competing in the upcoming edition of the competition, while two of his Al Hilal teammates swapped the Saudi Pro League for the First Division League, the second tier of Saudi football; Andre Carrillo and Luciano Vietto will be spending the 2023/24 season chasing promotion with Al Qadsiah under head coach Robbie Fowler.

Saudi Arabia will be represented in this season’s edition of Asia’s top club competition by Al Ittihad, Al Hilal, Al Fayha and Al Nassr, and all four clubs have been busy in the transfer market.

 

Al Hilal signed Ballon d’Or nominee Yassine Bounou in goal, the 32-year-old had excelled as Morocco reached the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi-finals and his penalty shootout heroics in the final against AS Roma led Sevilla to winning the UEFA Europa League.

 

Bounou is joined by Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly, recruited from Chelsea, midfield pair Ruben Neves and Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, who arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Lazio respectively, and Brazilian duo Malcom from Zenit Saint Petersburg and Neymar who was the club’s marquee signing, joining in a USD98 million deal from Paris Saint-Germain. The attack will be spearheaded by Serbian Aleksandar Mitrovic who arrived from Fulham.

With both continental and international commitments ahead, defending Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad landed the reigning Ballon d’Or holder and former Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema and added his international teammate N’Golo Kante who is partnered in midfield by Fabinho who arrived from Liverpool. The Jeddah club’s final signing of the window was Italian defender Luiz Felipe from Real Betis.

 

Finally, Al Fayha, as they prepare for their AFC Champions League debut, have made reinforcements across the pitch. In defence, left-back Ghislain Konan joined from Al Nassr, while in midfield Morocco international Abdelhamid Sabiri was acquired on loan from Fiorentina, and the attack was boosted with the double signing of Fashion Sakala from Rangers and Henry Onyekuru from Galatasaray.

Returning from a season in the First Division League, Al Ahli made 15 new signings including the attacking trio of Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Allan Saint-Maximin. They also signed Franck Kessie from Barcelona and Gabriel Veiga from Celta Vigo and shored up the backline with the pairing of Roger Ibanez from Roma and Merih Demiral from Atalanta in front of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy who arrived from Chelsea.

Al Shabab started their window by locking in midfielder Gustavo Cuellar from Al Hilal then added late moves for former Dalian Professional winger Yannick Carrasco and a loan signing of Morocco captain Romain Saiss from Al Sadd.

 

Under head coach Steven Gerrard, Al Ettifaq signed Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and his former midfield partner Gini Wijnaldum, while also adding former Celtic players Moussa Dembele and Jack Hendry and ending their window with the capture of winger Demarai Gray from Everton.