It’s only been a few days since Cristiano Ronaldo reiterated that Saudi Arabian soccer is at a higher level than Ligue 1. Now his team-mate Aymeric Laporte has also spoken out – but he didn’t leave a good mark on his club and even raised his criticism to a fundamental level.
Was Jordan Henderson’s return to Europe possibly just the beginning? At least, that’s the suspicion when you hear the latest statements from Aymeric Laporte. The 29-year-old, who won the treble with Manchester City last season and then left for Al-Nassr, recently gave an interview to the Madrid sports newspaper “AS” that is likely to cause quite a stir.
Laporte did not mince his words and did not just speak for himself in his criticism of Saudi Arabia when he said: “There are many players who are unhappy.” The central defender then listed several points that he disliked. “They need to get used to being a bit more serious and take everything lightly,” said Laporte, referring to the Saudis. He continued: “You negotiate something and then they don’t accept it after you’ve signed it. They fight against you.”
He has not yet reached an agreement with Al-Nassr, but something has to change now. “We’re working on it every day, negotiating, so to speak, to see if it gets a little better,” said Laporte, but also made no secret of the fact that he was toying with the idea of leaving Saudi Arabia again: “It’s not that far yet, but it could be in the future if this momentum continues.”
In addition to the lack of seriousness, Laporte is also concerned about what he sees as the inadequate support for the players and the poor quality of life in Riyadh. “They do take care of them, but not enough for my taste,” said the Spanish international. And “as far as the quality of life is concerned, I expected something different, because you spend three hours in the car every day. There’s a lot of traffic in Riyadh.”
Laporte’s general criticism was so clear that, in the context of Henderson’s move to Ajax Amsterdam, it is hard not to wonder whether other players will follow him in the coming days. The transfer window is still open until the end of the month.