Tag Archives: Saudi Pro League

Roberto Firmino Agrees to Three-Year Deal with Saudi Arabian Club Al Ahli 

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Roberto Firmino is headed to the Middle East… 

The 31-year-old Brazilian professional footballer has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli as a free agent after his contract at Liverpool expired at the end of last season, it was announced Tuesday.

Roberto FirminoFirmino, a forward, has agreed a three-year deal with the Saudi team and joins former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy at the Jeddah-based club.

The Brazil forward spent eight years at Anfield, scoring scoring 110 goals in 361 games.

Firmino won seven trophies with Liverpool including the Champions League in 2019 and the club’s first-ever Premier League title in 2020.

Clubs in Saudi Arabia have pursued an aggressive recruitment strategy in recent months, persuading some of the sport’s biggest names to sign lucrative deals with teams in the country — Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January and Karim Benzema left Real Madrid for Al Ittihad earlier this month.

Al Ahli won the Saudi First Division League title last season to achieve promotion back to the Saudi Pro League for the 2023-24 campaign.

Rudi Garcia Named New Coach of Serie A Side Napoli

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Rudi Garcia has landed a new job…

Italian champions Napoli have named the 59-year-old Spanish-French former-soccer-player-turned-manager as their new coach, replacing Luciano Spalletti, the Serie A side said on Thursday.

Rudi Garcia Napoli did not specify the length of Garcia’s contract. 

Garcia coached Italy’s AS Roma from 2013-16, before moving to French Ligue 1 sides Marseille and Lyon.

Garcia coached Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr last season. They finished second in the Saudi Pro League with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the attack.

Al Nassr parted ways Garcia in April, amid reports of an uneasy relationship with Ronaldo.

Former Napoli coach Spalletti, who led them to their first Italian league title since 1990, asked to take a break from the job for a year.

Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez Headed to Saudi Pro League’s Al-Nassr FC

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Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez is headed to the Middle East…

Atlanta United FC have transferred the 27-year-old Argentine soccer player, an MLS All-Star midfielder, to Al-Nassr FC of the Saudi Pro League.

Gonzalo "Pity" Martinez

The transfer fee wasn’t disclosed. The transaction opens a designed player spot and an international spot on United’s 2020 roster.

Martinez tallied two goals and two assists in seven MLS matches this season. He added two goals and two assists in three games in Champions League competition.

In his first season with Atlanta in 2019, he was named an MLS All-Star with five goals and nine assists and helped the team win the U.S. Open Cup and the Campeones Cup.

“We want to thank Pity for his contributions to our club for the past two years,” said Atlanta United vice president and technical director Carlos Bocanegra. “He will forever be a part of Atlanta United’s history after playing an integral part in our 2019 season in which we lifted two trophies. We’ll look to be diligent in our efforts to fill that roster spot during this window.”

The native of Argentina transferred from River Plate and joined Atlanta as a designated player on January 24, 2019.