JEDDAH – If recruiting top talents for one football club is a challenge, try doing it for 18 of them.

That is the Michael Emenalo’s task as the Saudi Pro League’s new director of football, player acquisiton and club development.

For six years, the former Nigerian international was Chelsea’s technical director and, from July, he has been in charge of luring more world-class players to the 18-team league.

On Saturday, Emenalo spoke to journalists from around the world, including The Straits Times, in an interview at the five-star Crowne Plaza Jeddah Al Salam hotel to give his take on his role and the league’s plans.

Having already overseen the transfer of former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson to Al-Ettifaq, Franck Kessie, Allan Saint-Maximin and Riyad Mahrez to Al-Ahli, Sadio Mane to Al-Nassr and Fabinho to Al-Ittihad, Emenalo is off to an auspicious start. 

And the league is not done yet.

While declining to reveal specific targets, he said: “There’s always more business to be done. The clubs they are working frantically to improve their squad, and they will continue to do that until the end of the transfer window.

“There are some transfers and some deals that are in the pipeline already for the different clubs.”

Brazilian superstar Neymar, former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba and Italian midfield maestro Marco Verratti are some players that have been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.

Emenalo, who joined Chelsea as an opposition scout in 2007 before progressing to become technical director from 2011 to 2017, shared that he will be responsible for the international players coming into the league.

The 58-year-old will work with the 18 clubs in “squad mapping what they already have in their teams, what they need, and make recommendations with my team to what I think would help them”.

He added: “And once they’ve made a decision on what they want, I will help them acquire those players to come into the league.

“I will also be responsible in helping the clubs improve their processes from a technical point of view, in structuring the academies, their recruitment systems and platforms, so that it becomes a little bit more professional.”

His work at Chelsea helped them claim three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the League Cup, the Europa League and the 2012 Champions League.

But his success in Saudi Arabia will be judged on the progress of the country’s league as it aims to become one of the biggest in the world. He plans to help Saudi football reach new heights, one big transfer at a time.

Emenalo said: “In a couple of years... this will become a league for exceptional players only. It will become a league only for those at the top of their game, because we have only 18 clubs and the space for just eight international players.

“And yes, we have resources and we’re going to use those resources to make sure once we build up infrastructure, and corrected the narrative, that the only players that are here are the ones that are at the top of their game.”

While critics have slammed Saudi’s huge foray into football and other sports like golf, Formula One and boxing as being a “sportwashing” exercise to clean up its reputation, football managers have also been increasingly outspoken about the kingdom’s influence.

Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola have weighed in on the threat of the Saudi Pro League.

The takeover of golf, as seen in the year-long feud between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf – bankrolled by the Public Investment Fund – before both parties decided to merge, will no doubt raise concerns within the Premier League and other sports leagues.

Emenalo said: “We don’t want to be (like LIV Golf). We want to establish our place in the industry in a way that helps everyone.”

“The European leagues, especially the Premier League, are very strong.

“They have no reason to be scared.

“I do feel they consider our presence to be disruptive. I think there is panic in some areas but this is from misunderstanding of what we stand for, what we are trying to do.

“Our goal is to work together with all the leagues and be a brotherhood in football industry.”