Has Juninho Bacuna's move from Birmingham City to Al-Wehda gone to plan so far? | OneFootball

The midfielder switched the Midlands for Saudi Arabia this summer

Juninho Bacuna's move away from Birmingham City was a saga that dragged on for most of the summer, before making the switch to Saudi Arabia towards the end of August.

He had been rumoured to be joining Turkish side Sivasspor earlier in the window before that proposed move fell through and he signed for Saudi side Al-Wehda for an undisclosed fee.

The Curacao international was a key part of the Blues' setup last season, but it was clear from early in the summer via new boss Chris Davies that Bacuna wasn't going to be making the drop down to League One with Birmingham.

Now, Football League World takes a look at how he's getting on at his new club...

How Juninho Bacuna's getting on at Saudi Arabian side Al-Wehda

Since joining the Saudi club at the end of August, Bacuna has made six appearances in all competitions but is yet to register a goal or an assist for his new side, where he joins former Watford and Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo.

It has been a difficult start to the season for Al-Wehda, picking up just one win in their first six Saudi League Pro games, including a damaging 7-1 loss to Al-Ittihad — a Laurent Blanc-led side featuring the likes of Karim Benzema and N'golo Kante — and a 2-0 loss to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr.

Bacuna featured in both those games, starting in the latter and coming in off the bench in the former, and also came on as a substitute in Al-Wehda's sole win of the league campaign so far, against Al-Orobah, a side that saw him face former Barcelona winger Cristian Tello and ex-Burnley wideman Johann Berg Gudmundsson.

Juninho Bacuna's contract

Bacuna signed a two-year contract when he arrived at Al-Wehda but the precise figures involved are not publicly known.

Football finance website Capology does, however, carry an estimate of his former contract with the Blues, believing he was earning around £17,885 a week in his final season at St Andrew's, which works out at £930,000 per year.

While the website doesn't hold up-to-date figures for Bacuna at his new club, finances are often a motivating factor for players transferring from Europe to Saudi, so it wouldn't be surprising to learn he earned a substantial pay rise in the switch.

He was well thought of at St Andrew's

A turbulent season for the Blues — ending in their relegation to the third tier, a level they have played above for almost 30 years — didn't see too many players leave with credit in the bank, but Bacuna was a rare exception.

In terms of goal contributions, only Birmingham Player of the Season Jay Stansfield bettered the midfielder by one, with Bacuna registering 13 goals and assists.

Still just 27 years old, many will wonder what Bacuna may have been capable of this season in a more polished side, but the Blues likely benefited from his transfer fee and being relieved of his not-insignificant wages, helping to fund their relatively extravagant spending in League One.

As Bacuna adjusts to life with his new club, he will surely begin to refind that lethal streak and contribute to Al-Wehda's attempts to climb up the Saudi Pro League table.