He will leave AS Monaco for Saudi Arabia at only 19 years old: we explain what convinced Saïmon Bouabré to make this choice

In a few days, Saïmon Bouabré will be a Saudi Pro League (SPL) player. The attacking midfielder will wear the jersey of Neom, a club promoted to the top flight and supported by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund (PIF), making him one of the biggest spenders in the transfer window.

The Saint-Étienne native underwent his medical yesterday in the Principality and will soon join his new teammates for training in Spain. He is preparing to say goodbye to his teammates and the Rock, probably today, and will commit to a five-year contract.

His transfer will bring in €10 million (+€2 million in bonuses for ASM). Monaco will also receive a 20% resale percentage. These figures and a surprising transaction for a 19-year-old who has only played five professional matches.

A salary multiplied by ten

This deal has therefore been much talked about in recent days but it is justified by rational elements.

Considered a star since he joined the Academy in July 2021, which also explains the impact of his departure, Bouabré preferred the Gulf to Paris FC, OM or West Ham, because he received a very good financial offer from Neom.

According to our information, the winner of the 2023 Gambardella will multiply his monthly salary by ten on the shores of the Red Sea.

However, it would be reductive to limit his decision to money alone. In the Middle East, he will have the opportunity to test his mettle against some of the league's established football stars. An idea that appealed to him.

The player doesn't consider the SPL a second-tier league with the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo, N'Golo Kanté, Fabinho, Marcelo Brozovic, and Riyad Mahrez. Al-Hilal's results at the Club World Cup, reaching the quarter-finals and defeating City in the last 16 (4-3 aet), have completed his good assessment of the Saudi league.

He believes he will grow on a personal level, even though his family will be by his side. In his eyes, nothing will prevent him from returning to Europe if he wishes in a few years. He has in mind the example of Gabri Veiga, the 23-year-old Spanish midfielder who recently left Al-Ahli for FC Porto.

Christophe Galtier met him in person

Neom reportedly has a real strategy that has convinced him. The PIF club wants to act as a gateway for young players. Its goal is to help them develop before allowing them to return to Europe with significant added value.

The Forez player received guarantees regarding his playing time, which was not the case in the Principality. According to our information, Christophe Galtier, appointed to the Saudi team's bench this summer, traveled to the Côte d'Azur to meet the French Under-20 international.

The former Gym coach reassured his family and presented them with a club structured like the best European teams. The technician softened the image of a ghost club in the heart of a futuristic city that has yet to emerge from the ground.

There, he will share the dressing room with French speakers (Alexandre Lacazette, Marcin Bulka and Amadou Koné), which will facilitate his adaptation. Reserved by nature, he will have to open up more, as Damien Perrinelle, his former coach in the Elite squad and a member of Adi Hütter's staff, has already urged him to do.

At Neom, Bouabré, who appreciated the efforts made to recruit him, which he considers unique for a kid his age, will be reunited with Nathan Zézé, a boy he knows well. Like him, the 20-year-old Nantes defender was the subject of a significant investment this summer, some 20 million euros.

In Monaco, it is rumored that President Rybolovlev facilitated the player's departure, with kindness and listening.