How John Buckley has started life in Saudi Arabia after £1m Blackburn Rovers sale - Did they make a mistake? | OneFootball

John Buckley has made a promising start to life in Saudi Arabia after his summer exit from Blackburn Rovers

John Buckley made the move from Blackburn Rovers to Saudi Arabian side Al Kholood during the summer transfer window.

It was reported by Alan Nixon that the Lancashire outfit agreed a deal worth £1 million for the 25-year-old.

The midfielder had fallen down the pecking order at Ewood Park, and was struggling for consistent game time under both John Eustace and then Valerien Ismael.

He even spent time on loan with Sheffield Wednesday during the 2023/24 campaign, helping the side earn their survival in the Championship with 13 appearances for the Owls.

Here we take a look at how Buckley is faring away from Blackburn following his summer move to the Middle East…

John Buckley’s bright start at Kl Kholood

Buckley completed his move late in August, with his final appearance for Blackburn coming in a 2-1 loss at home to Bradford City in the first round of the EFL Cup.

He played just 18 minutes, coming off the bench one last time at home before joining Al Kholood on 26 August.

The 25-year-old completed his move right before the start of the new Saudi Pro League season, with Al Kholood hoping to improve on their ninth place finish in the table from the year prior.

Des Buckingham has been placed in charge of the club, and he has brought a familiar face from the Championship with him, with Buckley immediately cementing himself as a key part of the side.

The midfielder has started each of the team’s opening three league fixtures for the new campaign, even contributing two goals.

Buckley scored on his debut against Al-Ettifaq, equalising for the away side in the first half before they ultimately lost 2-1 through a Georginio Wijnaldum winner in the second 45.

The ex-Blackburn player scored again in the third game of the season, with his 82nd minute strike sealing all three points at home against Damac.

This gave Buckingham his first league win in charge of the Saudi Arabian outfit, moving the team up to 12th in the Pro League table.

Blackburn aren’t missing John Buckley

Buckley came through the Blackburn academy system, and at one point was an important part of the side when Tony Mowbray was manager.

He featured 42 times in the league during the 2021/22 campaign, including earning 39 starts, as the club finished eighth in the table.

But he made just another 55 appearances in the Championship for Rovers in the subsequent three years, starting on 30 occasions.

It was clear that he was not in Ismael’s plans for the new term either, as he did not play in any of the team’s league games in 2025/25 prior to the sale being agreed with Al Kholood.

While he has made a promising start to life in Saudi Arabia, it is clear that the standard of football is not as high there as it is in the Championship, despite some obvious big names.