Latest news with #MoussaDiaby
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
What can Aston Villa spend this summer?
Having failed to qualify for the Champions League things look less rosy at Aston club made a loss of £206m in the two years to 30 June 2024 and, with the £100m departure of Jack Grealish in 2021 dropping away from their PSR figures, backing Unai Emery will be far from term's run to the quarter-finals of Europe's elite club competition, along with the sales Moussa Diaby, Douglas Luiz and Jhon Duran will undoubtedly have the Midlands club has spent more than £900m since returning to the Premier League in 2019, exceeding Uefa's 70% revenue to wages ratio every season."Without any outgoings, it appears Villa will be at the bottom end of the £50-100m spending range," said football finance expert Kieran more about the early transfer window and what each Premier League club can spend this summer
Arab News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
SPL champions-elect Al-Ittihad beat Al-Shabab 3-2 in last away game of the season
RIYADH: In their first match since clinching the Saudi Pro League title last week, Al-Ittihad celebrated with a 3-2 win at Al-Shabab on Tuesday, their final away game of the season. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport French winger Moussa Diaby took center stage, scoring two memorable goals that put the champions-elect in control, the first of which came in the opening minute. The former Aston Villa player, who arrived in Jeddah last summer, picked up possession on the right wing, cut inside the area and then, from a tight angle, fired an unstoppable shot into the opposite top corner. His second, just after the half-hour mark, was delightful in its simplicity. Steven Bergwijn, still inside his own half, lifted the ball over the Riyadh defense to Diaby, who in turn lifted it over the goalkeeper, who was stranded outside his area. Al-Shabab hit back in added time before the break through Yannick Carrasco, who controlled a Musab Al-Juwayr cross at the far post and fired home from close range. Just before the hour mark, however, Bergwijn restored Al-Ittihad's two-goal cushion. As the visitors streamed forward on the counter, N'Golo Kante fed the Dutchman on the left side, who produced another fine finish with a first-time shot. That was not quite the end of the matter, though. Midway through the second half, Cristian Guanca made it 3-2, the Argentine heading home from close range after Daniel Podence hung a cross invitingly in the air. Al-Shabab could not get another, however, and so Al-Ittihad recorded a sixth-successive win, which moved them nine points clear of second-place Al-Hilal, who travel to Al-Wehda on Wednesday. Elsewhere, Al-Qadsiah strengthened their grip on third place, and a spot in the AFC Champions League Two, with a 3-1 home victory over relegation battlers Al-Orubah. Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang contributed two late strikes that put him on 17 goals for the season. Julian Quinones delivered the opener, the Mexican marksman's 20th league goal of the campaign. Al-Qadsiah are now four points clear of fourth-place Al-Nassr, who will have a chance to close the gap when they play host to Al-Khaleej on Wednesday, after which there will be just one round of games left to play.
Forbes
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
How The Saudi Pro League Looks After Its Superstars
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JUNE 08: Karim Benzema is presented to the crowd at King Abdullah Sports City ... More on June 08, 2023 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by) As the summer transfer window approaches, all eyes will be on the Saudi Pro League and which big names the league can attract. That means it will be a busy summer for Al-Ittihad's player care relationship manager Natalia Jirala. From monitoring visa applications and sorting out SIM cars and banking, to shipping players' cars, Jirala looks after the needs of Al-Ittihad's superstars like Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Moussa Diaby. Diaby's signing last summer from Aston Villa shows the new direction the Saudi Pro League is taking, targeting players in their prime rather than legends approaching the end of their careers. And as these players can demand huge wages wherever they go, money alone isn't enough. That's why the Saudi Pro League has upped its efforts to make sure players enjoy their time in the kingdom. After some teething problems signing players, the league created the Player Acquisition Center of Excellence (PACE), and as part of that, it hired player care managers centrally, before assigning them to each club. Natalia Jirala, who previously worked for the Saudi royal family, was sent to Jeddah, the Red Sea city that is home to Al-Ittihad. Jirala's typical day could involve researching vehicle leases and accompanying players to home viewings in the morning, having an on-site visit to the club in the afternoon, and sorting out visa applications and paperwork in the evening. Immigration and visas are more complicated than some other countries. Saudi Arabia, as a place of pilgrimage, has regularly changing visa rules and some countries such as Colombia don't have an embassy in the kingdom. Soccer players also have very different schedules in Saudi Arabia than in Europe as the hot climate means players typically stay inside during the day, hitting the gym or doing physiotherapy, then do outdoor training sessions at Maghrib, or sunset, which is 'the best weather for practicing strenuous activities.' Matches kick off in the evening, before Saudi Arabia comes alive at night. Jirala says 'all of us become a lot more nocturnal than we were back in our country.' Also, while non-Muslims can eat during the day in the month of Ramadan, many players try not to eat around their Muslim teammates out of respect, which can be a challenge. Other Muslim practices such as not drinking alcohol are not as big of a deal as many athletes don't drink alcohol anyway. Soccer players are often used to a fast pace of life, where they are ready to seize an opportunity at any moment, but in Saudi culture, decisions are often made more slowly and with more consultation. Jirala says Saudis generally don't like to say 'no' to guests. Instead, they might say something like 'I'll work on that.' For Europeans used to yes/no answers, this can lead to frustration as it can 'take them months to realize' that their request had actually been denied. One of the hardest things for the players though is being away from their families. Jirala says in previous transfer windows, some signings chose not to bring their families, believing it would be difficult for them, but 'the biggest of the struggles was sometimes being alone in the country for so long.' More recent signings have brought their families along with them though. She says that 'once a player can see their kids interacting with the Saudi culture and language, that is actually a gamechanger for them,' and that players' wives often end up loving the country so much that they become 'the strongest Saudi ambassadors.' Jirala says the players' wives fill their time pretty easily and are quick to ask for her help too. She says, in the first month, one player's wife messaged her asking for help to organize a surprise trip to the spaceship-like Shebara resort on the Red Sea for her husband's day off. One of the first things a player needs is housing. They're given a housing allowance from the club and then choose what type of accommodation they would like. In Riyadh, players often live in a gated compound community, but in Jeddah, they can often find palatial private villas near the waterfront and the city's F1 circuit. One player even asked for a house with jetski and boat parking in the back yard. Often, players don't know what there is in Saudi Arabia 'so they feel like bringing as much as they love and like as possible from their lives' when they move. When families bring their pets, these need things like updated vaccines for international travel, and in Saudi Arabia, large dogs, a common pet among soccer players, are seen as exotic pets with some breeds even banned from the country. And while Saudi Arabia can cover most of the players' needs, some things from home are irreplaceable, such as hairdressers. Once Jirala had to organize a visa for a player's hairdresser to travel to Saudi Arabia, such are the lengths the player care managers take to keep the Saudi Pro League's superstars happy.
Saudi Gazette
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Saudi Gazette
Moussa Diaby praises Al Ittihad's resilience after Jeddah Derby draw
Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Moussa Diaby hailed Al Ittihad's resilience and squad depth after their dramatic 2-2 draw with Al Ahli in Saturday's Jeddah Derby, emphasizing the importance of securing a point in difficult circumstances as the Roshn Saudi League title race intensifies. The French winger was on the scoresheet in the 74th minute, leveling the match at 1-1 after a composed finish, before watching teammate Karim Benzema rescue a point with a stoppage-time equalizer to preserve Al Ittihad's lead at the top of the standings. 'Today was a really good derby,' Diaby said after the match. 'Both teams played well. We played away, even if it is the same stadium. But yeah, it's not easy to win that kind of game.' Reflecting on the back-and-forth nature of the clash, Diaby underscored the value of securing something from the match, especially against a side of Al Ahli's quality. 'So I'm happy for the draw,' he continued. 'You have to continue like this, because when you cannot win, you have to take maybe one point. So today was good.' The winger also credited the team's collective effort in overcoming the absence of several key players, including goalkeeper Predrag Rajković, full-back Mario Mitaj, and winger Steven Bergwijn.'We know this, that we missed a lot of players,' Diaby said. 'But everything is possible with this team, because we have a lot of potential. Even when some player is not here, with the players on the bench, they have to take the place and play well also.'He added: 'In training, we always push — and this shows for this kind of game.'With eight matches remaining, the club maintains a five-point lead over second-placed Al Hilal and continues to show the grit required for a championship run.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Preston North End v Aston Villa confirmed date and kick off time forces fixture change
Aston Villa will head to Deepdale and take on Preston North End in the quarter finals of the FA Cup at the end of this month - with the tie confirmed as taking place on Sunday, 30 March. Villa drew the only remaining Championship team PNE in the quarter final draw, which means they're one step away from a day out at Wembley and the semi-finals of the competition which they haven't won since 1957. With Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle United all out of the competition at this stage, Villa will fancy their chances to progress further and have an opportunity to do so when they head north to Deepdale. READ MORE: Moussa Diaby shows true Aston Villa colours after one-word response to Club Brugge win READ MORE: 'It has to stop' - Birmingham City have one option with Bailey Peacock-Farrell The game will take place on Sunday 30 March, and with a 13:30 kick off. Villa, though, have a scheduled Premier League game away from home in the following week, when they head to Brighton and Hove Albion at the other end of the country. That was set to take place on Tuesday 1st of April, but now the game has been pushed back in order to accommodate Villa's FA Cup commitments on the Sunday and allow for more time between the turnaround. Villa will now head to the AMEX Stadium, for a game which looks important in determining how the Premier League table shapes up heading into the run-in, on Wednesday the 2nd of April for a game which kicks off at 19:45. In between those fixtures and now, Villa will have an extended break. Following the meeting with Brentford this weekend and the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie with Club Brugge on Tuesday, they will then not be in action again until the PNE game - a gap of almost three weeks. That's due to the international break which is on the horizon, as well as the fact that Villa's game with Liverpool, scheduled for the weekend 15/16 March, has already been played as the Reds are in the Carabao Cup final that weekend.
