Why James Bisgrove chose to quit Rangers for Saudi Pro League as ex-Ibrox chief explains 'unique' new job
He left his position as chief executive in the summer of 2024 to become CEO of Saudi outfit Al-Qadsiah
James Bisgrove has explained why he decided to leave Rangers in the summer of 2024 in favour of taking up a new role in the Middle East.
The oil-rich club, who were in the second tier of Saudi football just a few years ago, now have ambitions of becoming a major force in Asia with the financial backing of one of the largest companies in the world, Saudi Aramco.
Bisgrove said: “To be the best club in Asia, we have to qualify for the AFC Champions League and then we have to win that competition, so that is a long-term ambition of the club.”
As part of their 10-year model, a large emphasis has been placed on player trading. That licked off earlier this summer when Equi Fernández was sold to Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen for €25 million - just a year after signing him for €18.7m from Boca Juniors.
Within the same timeframe, Al-Qadsiah have spent €207.4 million.
Former Ibrox CEO fronting up Saudi club’s new stadium plans
And Bisgrove is also leading the club's plans to move into a 47,000-seater stadium, part of Saudi's 2030 vision ahead of the 2034 World Cup.
“The Saudi Pro League is a development league that's growing to be a very high-level league, I think, comparable to some of the top leagues in Europe,” Bisgrove told Off the Pitch. “Both clubs need to win on the pitch. Your last result will really determine a lot of the feeling in the club the following week.
“It's to join a club at an early stage of its transformation that had a significantly ambitious ownership, and I wanted to develop a strategy to go to the scale of being the best club in Asia.
“For me, that was something that's incredibly unique within the industry, and I think incredibly exciting.”
Saudi Pro League have put ‘right foundations in place’
Bisgrove also spoke about the league's potential for growth, adding: “I think the league still has to make sure that it puts the right foundations in place when it comes to regulations when it comes to developing its media rights and its strategy.
“I still think there's room and scope for growth when it comes to media rights, particularly on an international level. I think it's still relatively immature. A long way to go, but some fantastic steps that have been taken in the last year to 18 months.
“This is still in its infancy, which for me is also one of the exciting aspects to know that there's going to be a real legacy aspect to what we'll achieve at the club.”