The Saudi Pro League has been buzzing this summer with the plethora of talent from Europe they have acquired. Marek Rodak was demoted to second place following the acquisition of Bernd Leno a couple of seasons, so it was no surprise to him move to Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq. Houssem Aouar was one of the most sought-after players back in the day, but his stock had fallen so far and he fell out of fair with Daniele de Rossi at Roma, only to move to Al-Ittihad to link up with the likes of Karim Benzema, N’ Golo Kante and Fabinho.
The Premier League saw the likes of Moussa Diaby move to Saudi Arabia after a solitary season with Aston Villa, Ivan Toney secured a late move for Al-Ahly and with the Saudi Pro League transfer window still open, Premier League teams are in a precarious situation as teams will not be able to replace the players that are sold.
So it wasn’t surprising to know that Arsenal rejected a €35 million offer from Al-Ittihad for Leandro Trossard. The Belgian forward has been on a fight with Gabriel Martinelli for the right to be the first choice left winger and his goal contributions last season helped Arsenal in their bid to win the Premier League title. Trossard is a very vital player to the team and I don’t see him leaving to a retirement league, especially with him still being 29-years-old.
Elsewhere, it has been reported that Mikel Merino will be out for two months, which will see him miss the Premier League games against Tottenham, Man City, Leicester, Southampton and probably Bournemouth. He will also miss the Champions League games agajsbt Atalanta, PSG and probably Shakhtar Donetsk.
We will have to be patient with Merino and remain hopeful that Declan Rice, Thomas Partey and Jorginho will continue to stay fit to grind out games. There is also the option of fielding Kai Havertz in midfield with Gabriel Jesus in attack.
That’s your lot for this morning.
Sayonara.
