"Our strategy is to bring the best," Saudi Pro League President

Carlo Nohra speaks at Reuters about the new politic of signings in the Arab League

The huge sums invested to attract some of the world's top players to Saudi Arabia this season are part of a long-term strategy to make the Pro League, the country's top league, one of the best in the world, the head of Carlo Nohra.

He told Reuters in an interview that authorities in the "soccer-crazy country" are confident their strategy to acquire football's biggest names will ensure fans flock to the stadiums in the new season, which starts on Friday (11/ 8).

Saudi clubs spent more than €400 million last season to sign players from Europe's elite teams, including Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema from Real Madrid, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and his "treble" with Manchester City Riyad Mahrez.

The...inflow began just months after Al-Nasr signed Cristiano Ronaldo for a reported salary of more than $200 million a year.

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Football website Transfermarkt ranks the Saudi Arabian league as the fifth biggest spenders in the current transfer window, ahead of Spain's LaLiga.

"It's very simple and I link it to our strategy," Nohra told Reuters. “One of the first goals set by the Saudi Pro League was to improve the product. We had to improve the quality and to improve the quality, you have to bring the best. Spending has always been a key element in doing this. What you're seeing is just the Pro League doing what other leagues were supposed to do. We are doing everything necessary to improve the quality on the pitch," he intended.

Manos Staramopoulos

Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs

Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com

Athens (Greece)

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