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News
- 1 May 2025
The five best Saudi Pro League transfers of the season
Cameron Smith
- 5 May 2025 10:00 CDT
- 3 min read
Analysis
The Saudi Pro League spent big yet again during the 2024 summer transfer window, although the allure of the richest league in world football certainly appears to have diminished slightly.
Despite this, several high-profile deals took place last summer and a number of stars have enjoyed stellar debut campaigns.
Below, FootballTransfers runs through the five best Saudi Pro League transfers of the season.
READ MORE: The 10 best transfers of the season in Europe
Moussa Diaby - €60m (Aston Villa to Al-Ittihad)
Moussa Diaby was expected to rip things up following his arrival at Aston Villa from Bayer Leverkusen, but he didn’t quite hit the heights expected of him and Unai Emery sanctioned his departure to Al-Ittihad for €60m last summer.
Since accepting a lucrative contract in Saudi Arabia, Diaby has established himself as a key player for Al-Ittihad and he is set to end his debut campaign with the club as the most prolific assist provider in the Saudi Pro League.
He has slotted in seamlessly alongside Karim Benzema and Steven Bergwijn in attack, and he is on course to help Al-Ittihad reclaim the title after finishing a lowly fifth last year.
READ MORE: The 10 worst transfers of the season in Europe
Current ETV
Moussa Diaby
F (CR), M (R)
Al-Ittihad
Moussa Diaby
F (CR), M (R)
Al-Ittihad
ETV Range
€31.7M - €38.8M
Ivan Toney - €42m (Brentford to Al-Ahli)
After months of speculation that he would join one of the biggest clubs in England, Ivan Toney opted to leave Brentford and join Al-Ahli for €42m.
Al-Ahli are extremely unlikely to claim the Saudi Pro League title this season, but Toney is in contention to win the top goalscorer award and he has already surpassed 30 goals and assists for the campaign.
Although he has lost his place in the England set-up since moving to the Middle East, Toney has enjoyed a successful stint on the pitch for Al-Ahli and he has certainly been a successful signing for the Saudi Arabian outfit.
Marcos Leonardo - €40m (Benfica to Al-Hilal)
Eight months after his move to Benfica in January 2024, Marcos Leonardo completed a €40m switch to Al-Hilal, snubbing interest from multiple top European clubs in the process.
The Brazilian left Benfica having scored eight goals in 24 games for the Portuguese giants and he has hit a new level of goalscoring form since moving to Saudi Arabia.
From late November to mid-March, Leonardo netted 16 goals in just 14 league appearances and he bagged his 25th strike for Al-Hilal in only his 37th game for the club versus Gwangju FC in late April.
Julian Quinones - €13.8m (Club America to Al-Qadsiah)
After spending time at Tigres, Atlas and Club America, Mexico international Julian Quinones left his homeland to join Al-Qadsiah for €13.8m in July.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also moved to Al-Qadsiah last summer, but Quinones has been the club’s star forward so far this campaign and he is a key reason why they are near the top of the Saudi Pro League table.
Quinones is set to hit 25 goals for the season, across all competitions, and he remains in the hunt for Saudi Pro League Golden Boot.
Current ETV
Julián Quiñones
F (C), M (L)
Al Quadisiya
Julián Quiñones
F (C), M (L)
Al Quadisiya
ETV Range
€8.4M - €11.4M
Abderrazak Hamdallah - Free (Al-Ittihad to Al-Shabab)
Abderrazak Hamdallah is also in contention to usurp Cristiano Ronaldo and claim the top goalscorer award following a fantastic debut campaign at Al-Shabab.
After scoring 67 goals in 84 games for Al-Ittihad, he joined Al-Shabab on a free transfer and he has continued his immense prowess in front of goal this campaign, despite being 34 years of age.
Hamdallah scored his 20th league goal of the season against Al-Kholood in April and considering he was signed on a Bosman deal, he has been a sublime new addition.
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