Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney recently shared the field for 33 minutes in Miami, where England defeated France 6-4 in the World Cup third-place playoff. The two strikers will meet again on Tuesday in Riyadh when Al-Hilal face Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League season’s first major contest between championship contenders.
Aston Villa supporters will hope Nicolas Jackson can begin replacing their former leading figure when he starts against Arsenal on Monday. Toney successfully performed a similar role at Brentford in 2020 after taking Watkins’ place. Fans in the West Midlands and west London may not be the only ones interested in how their former players perform in west Asia. England head coach Thomas Tuchel is also likely to watch closely, with both forwards competing to establish themselves as Harry Kane’s primary backup at the beginning of a new international campaign.
Before the bronze-medal playoff, Watkins and Toney had plenty of opportunities in North America, both on the field and from the bench, to discuss life in Saudi Arabia. Watkins has now joined Al-Hilal and may require little guidance on scoring in the Saudi Pro League, but his England teammate would be an ideal source of advice if needed.
Toney moved to the Middle East two years ago when he signed for Al-Ahli in Jeddah, widely regarded as the country’s most football-obsessed city, under coach Matthias Jaissle. After a relatively slow beginning, he completed his first season with 23 league goals and helped the club secure its first Asian Champions League crown. He followed that with 32 league goals in his second campaign, narrowly losing the Golden Boot to Julián Quiñones on the final day while collecting another continental title. Having already scored four times in three matches this season, he appears well placed to challenge for further individual and team honours.
Al-Ahli have claimed only one domestic league championship in more than four decades, making that trophy their main objective this season. Watkins, however, has joined a club with a long tradition of success and record totals of 19 domestic and four Asian titles. Al-Hilal were already a major institution before the heavy investment that began in summer 2023 and could reasonably be described as one of Asia’s largest clubs, with a global social media audience. Second place, their finish last season, is rarely accepted for long, and coach Simone Inzaghi has faced considerable criticism after local rivals Al-Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, won the championship.
Watkins appears to have chosen an excellent moment to arrive. Al-Hilal are moving toward peak form after scoring nine times across their opening two league fixtures. With creative support from Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Crysencio Summerville and possibly Gabriel Martinelli, the striker should have every opportunity to make an immediate impact. Adapting to the climate may be more difficult, as daytime temperatures in Riyadh reach the mid-40s and can be overwhelming for newcomers, although cooler and more manageable conditions are expected soon.
Saudi clubs are now spending less than they did in summer 2023, when teams in the league invested more than £700m in established names including Karim Benzema, who is reportedly close to leaving Al-Hilal, N’Golo Kanté, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané. Recruitment strategies have since shifted toward younger, less expensive players who may retain or increase their transfer value.
Théo Hernandez joined Al-Hilal in 2025 for a fee only slightly above £20m. Teenage forward Mohamed Kader Meïté arrived from Rennes for a similar amount, and the 18-year-old Côte d’Ivoire Under-23 international has already scored his first goal of the campaign.
Watkins represents a somewhat different investment at the age of 30. His arrival demonstrates that significant funds remain available for carefully selected stars, and the reported price of just over £50m appears relatively reasonable compared with the enormous fees common in the Premier League. Al-Hilal’s transfer policy may also differ slightly from that of their leading competitors. The club were among the four major teams acquired by the Public Investment Fund in 2023 before being transferred this year to billionaire businessman Prince Al Waleed bin Talal.
Al-Hilal have spent more than their rivals during this transfer window, increasing the expectation to deliver trophies. Watkins comes from a Villa side positioned below the Premier League’s strongest championship challengers, a reality highlighted in recent weeks as the Europa League winners sold several players. He has now entered a very different environment at a club where winning is mandatory and whose status reflects the heart of Asia’s football establishment.
With Toney leading their attack, Al-Ahli possess comparable ambitions and stature. The two forwards are also pursuing a more personal objective at international level, and Tuesday’s meeting in Riyadh gives both Watkins and Toney a valuable chance to impress observers in England, including their German head coach.
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