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Al-Kholood manager Des Buckingham has backed claims from Cristiano Ronaldo and Ivan Toney and compared the Saudi Pro League (SPL) to the Premier League. The English tactician believes that the SPL sides now have forward lines that could start in the English top flight.
Speaking on the BBC’s The Dub podcast, Buckingham stated that the Saudi Pro League had improved massively as they continue to attract big names from around the world. He believes that the addition of top coaches like Simone Inzaghi at Al-Hilal and Jorge Jesus at Al-Nassr has also had an impact on the quality of the league. He said (via Four Four Two):
"I look at the managers that are in the league this year. We've got Inzaghi, Laurent Blanc, Jorge Jesus. Then you look at some of the players we know, the obvious one is Ronaldo, but you have Mane, Benzema. You've got Nunez, Coman, Neves. So in terms of the quality that it attracts and will continue to attract, it's an exciting place to be right now. I think there's teams here now that have got a forward line that in the Premier League wouldn't go amiss."
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The former Oxform United coach, who has worked in several leagues, believes the move to Saudi Arabia will help him develop more. He added:
“I think there's so many things, whether it be cultural, whether it be religion, whether it be football, that I'd like to think, in this fourth [overseas] country now, that will make me not just a better coach, but will make me a better person.”
Buckingham started his senior coaching with Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand, before moving to Melbourne City in Australia as a caretaker. He was in India with Mumbai City for just over two seasons before joining Oxford United in 2023.
Buckingham joined Al-Kholood in August 2025, where he has registered one win in three matches, which included a loss to Cristiano Ronaldo-led Al-Nassr.
Ivan Toney backed Cristiano Ronaldo's claim about the Saudi Pro League
Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney spoke to The Guardian earlier this month, backing Cristiano Ronaldo's claim that the Saudi Pro League was among the best in the world. He believes that his side, Al-Ahli, would finish close to the top four in the Premier League, as they have the quality. He said:
"Cristiano Ronaldo has been around the world and probably knows a lot more than me, as I have only played in the Premier League, the Championship and Leagues One and Two. For me, [the Pro League] is on a par with the Premier League. If [Al-Ahli] were in the Premier League, we’d give it a good go and we’d be close to the top four. It is a quality league and people should not turn their noses up."
Ivan Toney moved to the Saudi Pro League in 2024 and has played 50 matches for Al-Ahli. He managed to score 35 goals and assisted seven times, and has already won the AFC Champions League Elite and the Saudi Super Cup.
