Manchester City star Rodri has questioned those making the move to Saudi Arabia, calling for sanctions after a summer of big spending.
The midfielder was speaking at a pre-match press conference for Spain, covered by Cadena SER, when the subject of Saudi Arabia’s summer transfer business was brought up.
It’s been a big summer for Saudi as they continue to spend their money in an attempt to build the league and turn it into one of the most competitive in the world.
That’s seen them targeting players across the globe, with big names such as Neymar, Fabinho, Sadio Mane, Ruben Neves, Aleksandr Mitrovic and others making the switch.
Manchester City did not manage to avoid the efforts to lure star players, with Riyad Mahrez joining Al-Ahli in a €35m deal and Aymeric Laporte following him with a €27.5m move to Al-Nassr.
It’s expected that similar spending will continue in the years to come, with billions put aside for clubs to spend to continue developing the league ahead of an effort by the country to host the World Cup down the line.
That’s something which seemingly makes Rodri uncomfortable, with the Manchester City man calling for sanctions to be introduced by those in charge.
“Obviously European football loses out in this situation and it is a very particular view of the players who decide to leave for these leagues,” he said.
“It is totally understandable because of the amounts of money they offer. I would take it to a personal issue.
“You have to somehow control this drain of talent because at the beginning it seemed that they were veterans in the twilight of their careers, but there are already young players who are going.
“These are respectable decisions, but the people who take action have to control this situation.”
