RIYADH: One would have been forgiven for thinking this was the quietest transfer window of the Saudi Pro League since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in early 2023. Most of the signings before the final 48 hours were minor reinforcements, with the most expensive transfer being Murad Al-Hawsawi’s move from Al-Khaleej to Al-Hilal. By the end of the transfer window, 40 new transfers had been completed across the league, representing 45% of the window’s transfers.

The seeds were sown on January 26, when Al-Nassr announced the signing of Hayder Abdulkareem from Al-Zawraa in the Iraqi Stars League to bolster the midfield. Out went Wesley on loan to Real Sociedad, to free up space for the young Iraqi.

Three days later, L’Équipe reported that Karim Benzema’s time at Al-Ittihad was nearing an end after a contract proposal from Saudi Pro League director Michael Emenalo was deemed a significant step down. 

“This offer, considered insulting, was taken as a sign of disrespect by the player's entourage, as it would amount to "playing for free," they explained, in addition to his image rights,” wrote Hugo Guillemet.

This led to the Frenchman withdrawing from the matchday squad ahead of Al-Ittihad’s clash with Al-Najma, further fuelling uncertainty over his future in the Kingdom as deadline day on February 2 approached. Less than 48 hours before the window closed, rumours emerged of Al-Hilal looking attempting to swoop for Benzema.

Al-Ittihad, accepting that Benzema’s departure was imminent, prepared to offload N'Golo Kanté to Fenerbahçe in exchange for Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri as a replacement.

However, the biggest development did not come from either Al-Ittihad or Al-Hilal. Fabrizio Romano reported that Ronaldo would not feature in the squad for Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh. “His absence is not related to any physical issue nor to workload or fitness management,” Romano tweeted.

It later emerged that the Al-Nassr captain was unhappy with his club’s activity during the transfer window: Al-Nassr had only added Abdulkareem to the squad in January.

By contrast, Al-Hilal brought in Pablo Marí, Rayan Al-Dossary, Sultan Mandash, Murad Al-Hawsawi and announced the signing of Mohamed Kader Meïté from Rennes — while also pursuing Karim Benzema.

While some fans sympathised with Ronaldo’s concerns over the contrast between the two windows, Paul Williams, co-founding editor of The Asian Game platform and a freelance journalist who has covered Asian football for more than 15 years, held a different view.

“I’m not even sure his concerns are valid,” Williams told Arab News. “Let’s not forget just 12 months ago they made one of the biggest signings in the new SPL era in Jhon Durán, and then promptly shipped him off on loan six months later. When you factor in Ronaldo getting his way in terms of management of the club, his own new mega deal and his reported part-ownership of the club, then there’s no shortage of investment in Al-Nassr.”

With reports emerging that Ronaldo was frustrated with how the Public Investment Fund (PIF) were handling matters related to Al-Nassr, Williams believes responsibility lies elsewhere.

“Perhaps the anger should be directed at the mismanagement of the club, rather than at the PIF who have gone out of their way to help Al-Nassr have success,” he said.

Indeed, Al-Hilal would go on to complete the signing of Benzema and welcome Saïmon Bouabré from NEOM, taking their winter transfer activity to seven players at a reported cost of $83.56 million, according to Transfermarkt.

Al-Nassr, meanwhile, loaned Haroune Camara back to Al-Shabab and brought in Al-Hilal’s backup striker Abdullah Al-Hamdan as cover. For Ronaldo, it appeared to be insufficient.

Portuguese outlet Record reported on February 2: “Cristiano Ronaldo is unhappy with the treatment Al-Nassr has received from the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund (PIF), the state body that acquired the majority stake in the country's four main clubs in 2023: Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli.”

It added: “The Al-Nassr captain feels that the PIF is hindering signings at Al-Nassr to prevent the team from winning the title.”

Further reports claimed Ronaldo did not attend Al-Nassr training sessions and had travelled back to Portugal. While Record suggested “the striker is unhappy at Al-Nassr and could leave the club in June,” Pedro Sousa, executive director of Correio da Manhã Rádio, said earlier on Wednesday: “Cristiano Ronaldo did not miss any training sessions. FIFA is burying its head in the sand and allowing an illegality.”

That illegality related to developments at Al-Ittihad. After paperwork was not completed in time via FIFA’s TMS system, the swap deal between Fenerbahçe and Al-Ittihad failed to go through.

Fenerbahçe later released an official statement on X, stating: “However, due to the erroneous entry of the relevant TMS information by the opposing club, the procedures could not be completed within the transfer registration period independently of our club.”

The statement added: “Accordingly, an extension was requested, the necessary discussions were conducted with FIFA by our club, and all steps have been taken to resolve the process.”

That situation was ultimately resolved after the deadline, with both Al-Ittihad and Fenerbahçe receiving approval after deadline day concluded, fueling more discussion between fans and further frustration for Ronaldo, whose availability for Al-Nassr’s clash with Al-Ittihad on February 6 is still uncertain.

While much of the drama unfolded off the pitch, there remains plenty at stake on it. Just four points separate Al-Hilal at the summit of the Saudi Pro League and Al-Qadsiah in fourth place.

“The impact on the title race we don’t yet know, but on face value it would appear to be significant,” said Williams. “Al-Hilal lacked a consistent goalscorer since Aleksandar Mitrovic departed the club. The punt on Darwin Nunez hasn’t paid off, and it appeared Marcos Leonardo was going to be out the door.”

Al-Nassr remain just one point behind Al-Hilal, with 15 matches still to play this season. But with Ronaldo’s future up in the air, what could this mean for the future of Saudi football?

“I don’t think the league is doomed, although there is no doubt its metrics will go down after he leaves, that’s only natural,” Williams responded.

“But I think the league is a lot more established now on its journey, we’ve got dozens of names, both old and young, that are now flocking to Saudi Arabia because they see the value in it.”