After all the fun of last Friday’s Transfer Deadline Day, the Saudi league’s own deadline is about to come to an end.

But it’s been a rather quiet window for high-profile signings compared to what we saw last summer.

In 2023, the likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema, Firmino and Sadio Mane all moved to clubs in Saudi Arabia.

This year, the big names haven’t been as forthcoming, but the arrivals of Ivan Toney and Joao Cancelo show there’s still an appetite to attract some of Europe’s talents.

The league’s CEO, Omar Mugharbel, says there have been a lot of signings but “maybe not the ones that the media are most interested in”.

He said: “This is only the beginning with more transfers on the pitch and more development off the pitch.

“The reality is that there have been a lot of signings this summer but maybe not the ones that the media are most interested in.”

“Last season we had a lot of opportunities to sign star players either because we had the positions available in the clubs themselves or there were a lot of interesting players that we wanted to recruit into the league.

“For the most part, most of the players that we brought in or the clubs brought in are actually still in the league, which is a positive sign that things are moving in the right direction.”