Pep loses key Man City figure, poached by Saudi!

Pep Guardiola has now suffered the loss of a key Manchester City figure after he was poached by the Saudi Pro League. 

The Arab country seem determined to grow their presence in world football with the signing of the Sky Blues' chief commercial officer Esteve Calzada who is set to begin his new role in January 2024. 

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Calzada began his career in the boardroom of football clubs when he joined Barcelona in 2002 as the Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer for the club before moving to the Sky Blues in 2019 to become their Chief Commercial Officer.  

The former Barca executive is regarded as one of the best at what he does for clubs — managing and overseeing all of the club's commercial operations.

The Mirror reports that Al Hilal's latest acquisition played a pivotal role in City's treble-winning season that saw them attain a record-breaking commercial year, achieving their highest-ever revenue. 

With reported commercial revenues of £341 million (R8.1 billion), broadcast revenue of £299 million (R7.1 billion), and matchday revenue of £71.9 million (R1.7 billion), the Manchester club achieved a record profit of £80.4 million (R1.9 billion).  

"Under the leadership of Mr. Fahad Bin Saad Bin Nafel, the board of directors at Al-Hilal Club have made the decision to appoint the Spaniard Esteve Calzada to be their new CEO starting from January 2024, taking over from Mr. Abdullah AlJarboua," Al Hilal said in a statement. 

"With a range of senior positions of experience at top European clubs — such as Manchester City and FC Barcelona — and recognized as one of the most renowned sports marketers, Mr. Calzada has been welcomed to the role by the Board and the team looks forward to working together for the benefit of Al-Hilal, their goals and successes.

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