In Kante, Neves and Fabinho, Saudi Pro League revamp prioritising elite midfielders

Brozovic and Milinkovic-Savic has also moved to the kingdom, with Henderson among those expected to follow

Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves has joined Saui Pro League side Al Hilal. AFP

In this week adding Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Ruben Neves, Al Hilal acquired a midfield partnership the envy of many top-level European clubs.

Neves had long been linked with a move within the English Premier League from Wolves to Manchester United or Liverpool, while he was understood to have serious interest this summer from Barcelona. But he chose the record 18-time Saudi Arabian top-flight winners over the freshly crowned Spanish champions.

Milinkovic-Savic, meanwhile, was said to have for some time featured highly as a transfer target of United and English rivals Arsenal. However, less than two months after helping Lazio to a runner-up finish in Serie A, he traded Rome for Riyadh.

In two weeks, and amid this summer of unprecedented Saudi spend, Hilal had recruited what appears a perfect partnership for the heart of their side: Neves, the deep-lying schemer who dictates tempo and provides craft; Milinkovic-Savic, a true box-to-box midfielder with the all-round game that offers goals and assists.

Last season, the Serbia international scored nine in the league and conjured eight more for presumably grateful teammates.

Since making his Serie A debut in 2015, Milinkovic-Savic had registered as the best midfielder in the division for total shots and duels won, highlighting his varied skill set. Technically adroit, his 338 chances created from open play during that time ranked second.

Pairing Milinkovic-Savic with Neves completes a central midfield contingent at Hilal that includes captain Salman Al Faraj – albeit injury-prone – and the enterprising Mohammed Kanno.

Should the four-time AFC Champions League winners, a distant third in the league last season as their transfer embargo and crammed schedule bit hard, bring in a proficient striker – Fulham’s Aleksander Mitrovic is a concrete option – they will no doubt feature strongly in what promises to be an ultra-competitive 2023/24 title race.

That Neves and Milinkovic-Savic are aged 26 and 28, respectively, underlines the Saudi Pro League’s newfound pulling power.

Yet Hilal aren’t the only team seeking to bolster their engine room with high-calibre players. Champions Al Ittihad have already signed N’Golo Kante, a World Cup winner in 2018, and are homing in on Liverpool’s Brazilian international Fabinho.

On Saturday, news emerged that Liverpool had removed Fabinho, an integral part of the English giants’ success since 2018, from their pre-season training camp in Germany because of a sizeable bid from Ittihad. It is reported to be north of $50 million. The expectation is that the deal will go through.

The investment hasn’t, though, been confined to Hilal and Ittihad. Earlier this month, Al Nassr, runners-up last season with Cristiano Ronaldo, recruited a World Cup silver medallist in Marcelo Brozovic, prizing the accomplished deep-lying playmaker from Uefa Champions League finalists Inter Milan.

The Riyadh club are believed to be close to augmenting Brozovic with rangy Lens midfielder Seko Fofana.

At Al Ahli, the returning Pro League side and the other of the four lead clubs controlled now by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, an approach has been made for Arsenal’s Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey.

What’s more, Jordan Henderson has accepted in principle a proposal to join former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq, who was appointed as manager two weeks ago.

Convincing his successor as Liverpool captain, and a current England international, to move with him to Dammam represents a considerable coup, even if Henderson is aged 33 and with the involved clubs still far from agreeing on a transfer fee.

Even without Henderson’s arrival, from next season the Saudi top-flight will boast a host of talented imports in centre midfield. The expectation is more will follow. Crucial cogs in any team, it is no surprise the top clubs have prioritised elite performers to recondition their respective cores.

Top Saudi Pro League signings so far