{
  "id": 3411611,
  "title": "'The data will always override': How AI is helping Al Kholood outsmart Saudi Pro League’s big spenders",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/the-data-will-always-override-how-ai-is-helping-al-kholood-outsmart-3411611",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-26T02:58:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2026/08/26/the-data-will-always-override-how-ai-is-helping-al-kholood-outsmart-saudi-pro-leagues-big-spenders/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing football scouting, enabling predictive models to search hundreds of leagues and project a player's performance in different leagues. The UEFA regards this technology as reshaping talent identification and evaluation. Al Kholood, a Saudi Pro League club with limited spending power, utilizes AI technology to compete against giants in the division. Gareth Jennings, group sporting director of the Harburg Group, which owns Al Kholood, explained how the club uses Teamworks Player ID to identify undervalued players whose projected performance aligns with the squad's requirements. Any player not fitting these data metrics is disregarded. Al Kholood's first transfer this summer was winger Coba da Costa, signed from Getafe for around €2 million. Seven Saudi Pro League clubs have already outspent Al Kholood in the summer transfer window, and Jennings hopes the number will increase. Jennings believes that data can grant Al Kholood an edge in recruitment, but acknowledges that human judgment still plays a critical role in performance assessment. However, the model's ability to predict whether a player's performance will vary according to surroundings remains unclear. Teamworks, the company behind Teamworks Player ID, has refined its model over 22 transfer windows across 11 years, but admits it is not a silver bullet. Club success may increasingly depend on squad quality rather than specific playing styles, potentially leading to a shift back to more diverse recruitment.",
  "summary": "Artificial intelligence is widening football’s scouting map. Predictive models can search hundreds of leagues and project how a player might perform somewhere else. Uefa now regards the technology as reshaping how talent is identified and evaluated. At Al Kholood, a Saudi Pro League club with far less spending power than the division’s giants, this technology, they believe, ensures they can…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "'The data will always override': How AI is helping Al Kholood outsmart Saudi Pro League’s big spenders",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/the-data-will-always-override-how-ai-is-helping-al-kholood-outsmart",
        "published": "2026-08-26T02:58:47.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}