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And yet it appears they have managed to hold onto their star player and captain - despite suggestions that some club officials (not head coach Ruben Amorim, it should be said) haven't exactly been beating down his door trying to persuade him to stay.

That should ring alarm bells in Saudi Arabia, where the master plan is built around luring the world’s best players to the country.

The Kingdom has now been snubbed by two of the Premier League’s biggest stars, earmarked as being marquee arrivals, in very quick succession.

Mohamed Salah has been targeted by the Saudi Pro League ever since it announced itself on the world stage by splashing the cash to land Cristiano Ronaldo in January 2023.

As undeniably one of the world’s best players, and the highest profile Arab Muslim athlete in the world, Salah is considered the golden goose in Saudi.

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In the same interview, Emenalo dismissed the suggestion that Saudi Arabia could follow in the footsteps of the Chinese Super League as a short-lived gold rush, yet that appears to be an increasingly distinct possibility.

Emenalo also admitted that the kingdom's plan is reliant on star quality: “It shouldn't be a surprise that when you put your plan in place you ask: how do you offer the best quality entertainment to our audience.

But the majority have been players who either took deals far beyond what they could expect to earn in the Premier League relevant to their talent level - Ivan Toney, Jhon Duran, Aleksandar Mitrovic - or who have made the move for that final pay day.

“Fortunately, the players have looked at the plan, strategy and ambition and they expressed values of wanting to make this league one of the best in the world," said Emenalo

"They decided to join and we are grateful for that.”

But now players are looking not just at the 'plan', but what has happened in recent years, able to reference the quality of football on display and the struggling attendances and weigh up whether the money alone is enough.

If Saudi Arabia’s billions can no longer buy those players then the whole plan attached to the 2034 World Cup could be at risk.

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