Keith Wyness: Championship clubs to rake in big transfer fees from Saudi clubs – ‘it’s madness’
Saudi Arabia are moving to a new transfer model which could have a dramatic effect on Championship clubs.
That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, after Saudi announced a new 50-man transfer plan.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is still expected to move to Saudi, despite the nation wanting to focus on signing younger players.
Salah is backed to replace Cristiano Ronaldo as the face of the Saudi Pro League, who has reportedly gone on strike at Al-Nassr over their lack of investment.
Saudi ‘to create bigger product’ with new plan
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes the next transfer window could be “very interesting” for Championship clubs.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks the plan is with a view to when Saudi Arabia host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Now what this means is potentially a lot of, I think a lot of talent coming in from the Championship surprisingly into the Saudi league, because I think that’s about the right level.
“We’ve known for many years the Championship has been a graveyard for money, it’s been a loss-making situation as everybody tries to get into that holy grail of the Premier League. I think that the some of these Championship clubs may see some decent money coming in for some of their players, which they would welcome.
“So that may have a positive knock-on effect for the Championship. But I say it’s going to be the younger type of players that the Saudi league is now looking to stock itself with and go into phase two of its development and try and create a bigger product.
“Now, this is also part of the plan of the Saudis now looking towards the 2034 World Cup and bringing through younger players themselves within their own domestic network, and so they want to bring in some younger foreign players to help the development of that young talent as well.
“So there’s a reason behind the madness. 50 players seems a big number, and it is obviously it’s a lot of players, but I think that money will be spread more evenly throughout the football league and I think that’s something that is going to be very interesting to see how that develops. It could make for a very interesting transfer window and I think a lot of the money might trickle down the pyramid a little bit further than normal.”
Championship sack race continues
In the Championship, the continual changing of managers does not seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Eric Ramsay is among the favourites to be the next Championship manager sacked, with the West Brom boss yet to win any of his first four games in charge.
Valerien Ismael was the last Championship manager sacked, with Blackburn Rovers deciding a change was needed amid their eight-game winless run.