Saudi Arabia has launched a new Player Acquisition Center of Excellence with immediate effect
It will be led by Nigerian Michael Emenalo, who was Chelsea’s sporting director for a decade.
The Saudi professional soccer league today announced a new strategy to create “elite rosters” with the start-up of a center with the aim of guiding the clubs in the transfers of international players and that these serve as models for young Saudi promises.
“In a new effort to create elite squads combining young Saudi prospects with world-class international players and role models, the saudi league has launched a new Player Acquisition Center of Excellence (PACE), which will provide a centralized approach to transfers and assist in squad planning and player care,” the league said in a statement.
PACE will be led by Nigerian Michael Emenalowho was Chelsea’s sporting director for a decade, and will be “responsible for providing a centralized approach to transfers and helping to provide all clubs with the best possible experience and governance to ensure a dynamic, young and sustainable future,” noted in the note.
The purpose of this new strategy is to give more prominence to young Saudis and, therefore, the league “it will increase the playing time” of these footballers by reducing the age of eligibility from 18 to 16 yearseffective immediately for the 2023-2024 season.
“At the last World Cup in Qatar, Saudi Arabia showed what we are capable of internationally and demonstrated the quality of our national league.“said the president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Yasser Al Misehal, in the statement.
The implementation of the new strategy follows the recent launch by the Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince, Mohamed bin Salman, of the sports club privatization project, which will have its last phase from the end of 2023.
With contracts worth millions of euros, Saudi Arabia has launched a football offensive to attract various ball stars, such as Karim Benzema or Cristiano Ronaldoas well as other young internationals who are joining for the season that begins next month.