Saudi Pro League summer signings power rankings: Karim Benzema and Jordan Henderson tumble as unstoppable Aleksandar Mitrovic retains No.1 spot at the mid-season break

Signed for almost €30 million from Celtic, no one expected that after just a few weeks that Jota would be on the fringes at Al-Ittihad.

With just two goals in his 11 appearances, the winger is currently not available to play in the league after not being registered for the first-team squad in September, and there are now reports that the club will launch an internal investigation into how they came to sign one of the flops of the season so far.

Having scored 20 goals in Ligue 1 last season for Strasbourg, Diallo was expected to fire Al-Shabab towards the top of the table, but things have not gone to plan as yet. The Senegal international has scored just once his new club following his €18m arrival as they languish in the bottom half.

Firmino started with a bang, scoring a hat-trick on his Pro League debut, but things have gone downhill pretty quickly since then. The ex-Liverpool forward has not found the net since, and became a regular target for those in the media amid Al-Ahli's inconsistent start to the campaign.

The newly-promoted side have since embarked on a long unbeaten run, but that has coincided with Firmino being dropped from the starting line-up, and he could yet return to Europe in January.

The most expensive signing of the Saudi summer, Neymar's debut season at Al-Hilal is already over following the cruciate ligament tear he suffered while playing for Brazil in October. Three games, three assists will go down as his final numbers for his first Pro League campaign.

It's been an inauspicious start to life in the Pro League for Demiral, who left Atalanta to join Al-Ahli in late August. The Turkey defender has made just seven league appearances for his new club, but has already undergone knee surgey, while he has also been booked twice and sent off once as he has allowed his aggressive nature to get the better of him.

The star of the Lens team that pushed Paris Saint-Germain close in last season's Ligue 1 title race, Fofana's time at Al-Nassr has been hampered by injuries thus far.

However, the midfielder's performances have improved in recent weeks, and he has started to regain the trust of Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro.

Gray has made 12 appearances in the Pro League so far after arriving extremely late in the window from Everton following a battle between Al-Ettifaq and Al-Shabab to sign the Jamaica winger.

Steven Gerrard's insistence in playing the 27-year-old as a central striker has, however, limited his impact, and Gray has managed just two goals and two assists thus far.

Many were surprised that Veiga chose to snub Napoli and move to Saudi Arabia at the age of 21, and so far for the Spanish youngster it hasn't quite worked out at Al-Ahli.

He has shown signs of life in recent weeks, however and enjoyed his best outing of the campaign against Abha in late November when he scored twice and provided two assists in a 6-0 win.

After plenty questioned Telles' arrival at Al-Nassr due to them already having a perfectly good left-back in Ghislain Konan, the former Manchester United man is yet to live up to his billing.

He hasn't been bad by any means, and has scored a couple of stunning goals, but the Brazil international is far from the star performer some thought he might be.

The first blockbuster arrival of the summer, 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Benzema's move to Al-Ittihad shocked fans around the world, especially those at Real Madrid who expected to get another year out of the striker.

Benzema, however, is yet to set the Pro League alight, with the defending champions already 25 points off the pace as new manager Marcelo Gallardo struggles to turn things around after Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked. Benzema, for his part, has contributed nine goals and five assists, but that is some way off the league's top attackers.

After reports that Fabinho's move to Al-Ittihad might fall through due to an issue with his dogs proved to be wide of the mark, the midfielder wasted little time in getting down to work in the Middle East.

The £40m signing from Liverpool initially showed just why the defending champions were willing to pay such a fee for his services after forming a strong midfield partnership with N'Golo Kante. But as the defending champions' form has dropped, so too has his performance level.

Al-Ittihad actually wanted to sign Sergio Ramos to bulk up their defence over the summer, but when they failed to convince the Real Madrid legend, they turned their attention to Italy international Felipe.

The €22m they paid Real Betis to sign him looked like like being a bargain early on, though his performance levels dropped as the defending champions' have fell out of the title race before injury ruled him out of the final matches of 2023.

The former Chelsea goalkeeper was having a difficult time at Al-Ahli. Things started badly when he gifted the opposition a goal on the opening day, and he continued to concede avoidable strikes, while his insistence of playing out with his feet caused more problems than it solved.

However, the Senegal international improved as the season moved towards the break, and has kept seven clean sheets in his last eight outings.

Like most of Al-Ahli's new arrivals, he started well, but Saint-Maximin was one of a number of the club's players who came under the microscope during an inconsistent beginning to the campaign.

The former Newcastle winger has also faced questions over his tactical indiscipline and his weight, but has started to show glimpses of his talent in recent times, with assist tally now up to eight to go with his three league goals.

Having spent big to improve their attack, Al-Ahli left it to late to beef up their defence before bringing in Ibanez from Roma to join his fellow ex-Serie A star Demiral. The Brazil international seems to have settled quicker in his new surroundings thus far.

After a slow start while he regained full fitness, Kante quickly became a fan favorite in Jeddah as he began to show why he was considered one of the best midfielders in the world at Chelsea.

In addition to his usual impressive defensive work, Kante has also begun to show the other side of his game, scoring two goals and setting up four more for the holders in all competitions. Al-Ittihad's poor recent results are certainly not down to the form of their World Cup-winning midfielder.

Carrasco was one of the latest arrivals from Europe this summer, and he quickly made an impact on Al-Shabab after coming in from Atletico Madrid. He has been the brightest spot in an otherwise struggling team so far, as he contributed six goals and four assists so far.

For all the controversy back in England surrounding his exit from Liverpool, Henderson showed few early signs of it affecting him with his early performances for Al-Ettifaq, as he provided four assists in his first six league appearances.

However, the midfielder has seen his form drop considerably during his club's current nine-match winless run that is placing huge pressure on manager Steven Gerrard.

Wijnaldum has returned five goals in the league games so far for Al-Ettifaq following his arrival late in the window from Paris Saint-Germain.

Though clearly not the same player he was at Liverpool, the Netherlands international has wasted little time in putting his nightmare two years at Parc des Princes behind him, and early signs are he can be a true difference-maker in the Pro League, even if Ettifaq have struggled in recent weeks.

A signing that went under the radar among the arrivals of Benzema, Neymar and Co. into the league, Dembele's move from Lyon to At-Ettifaq was one of the most impactful in the early weeks of the campaign.

He netted nine times in his first nine games for the club, and his importance to Gerrard's team was made even more clear after he suffered an injury that coincided with Ettifaq's form dropping and the goals drying up. Dembele has since returned, but has not hit the same heights as his early weeks in the Middle East yet.

After an underwhelming start from the ex-Chelsea defender, it seems that Koulibaly has begun to adapt to his new surroundings after some improved performances. He continues to form a strong partnership in the Al-Hilal defence with fellow centre-back Ali Albulayhi.

Eyebrows were raised when Al-Hilal chose to spend €40m on Zenit forward Malcom, but the Brazilian's fast start to life in Saudi Arabia - including an opening-day hat-trick - soon silenced any critics.

While he hasn't been a consistent goalscorer, he has still managed a total of nine in the league thus far, as well as five assists, and is one of the main creative threats for the unbeaten leaders.

Al-Nassr's defeats in their opening two games of the season were pinned on their leaky defence, but Laporte's arrival from Manchester City has made that problem a thing of the past.

The Spain international has only been on the losing side once since arriving in Saudi Arabia, with his impact helping springboard Nassr back into the title picture.

After a slow start at Al-Nassr, Mane has begun to show signs of his best form after making the left-wing role his own in the club's frontline alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Anderson Talisca.

The ex-Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward has scored 12 goals in all competitions so far, and assisted six more.

Mahrez may not have been at Al-Ahli long, but he has already been on something of a rollercoaster ride since his arrival from Manchester City. The winger was initially criticised for his performances in the wake of being overlooked for his new club's captaincy, and there were real concerns that he would be remembered as an expensive flop.

He has been back to his best in recent weeks, though, and now has 15 direct goal contributions to his name in 19 Pro League appearances.

Far from the biggest name to arrive in Saudi Arabia this summer, Scotland international Hendry has emerged as a defensive rock for Al-Ettifaq since signing from Club Brugge.

He may not grab headlines like some of his new team-mates, but Gerrard's side would be struggling even more without the 28-year-old centre-back.

The Player of the Season in Portugal for 2022-23, Otavio arrived from Porto with a €60m price tag to justify, but he has made an excellent start to life in the Pro League.

It was felt that Luis Castro's side needed a player to link-up their fearsome attack with the rest of the team, and Otavio has certainly provided that, helping Al-Nassr to keep within sight of Al-Hilal at the top of the table.

Kessie's arrival from Barcelona did not receive the same fanfare as other Pro League summer signings, but he has grown into one of the league's most important midfielders at Al-Ahli.

The Ivory Coast international has retained his ability to destroy opposition attacks while also providing attacking returns of his all, scoring six goals - including two stoppage-time winners - and laying on two assists.

Having joined from Lazio, Milinkovic-Savic quickly became a fan favourite at Al-Hilal despite being sent off on just his third appearance. He has developed a superb midfield partnership with Ruben Neves, and though he had some disagreements with manager Jorge Jesus, he is now seen as one of the Pro League's top performers.

His goal tally is up to nine in all competitions, which includes his crucial opener in the top-of-the-table clash against Al-Nassr and a hat-trick against struggling Abha, both of which came in December.

Al-Hilal's midfield duo of Neves and Milinkovic-Savic was expected to be one of, if not the best partnership in the Pro League, and they proved to be as much in their side's thrilling win over Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Clasico back in September.

Neves has maintained his high standards since then and continues to be a standout performer following his summer move from Wolves.

Morocco goalkeeper Bounou arrived from Sevilla in the final weeks of the transfer window, but has already established himself as the top shot-stopper in the division.

Bounou has kept 12 clean sheets in 17 league matches so far and is yet to concede more than one goal in a match, with Al-Hilal's defensive record the best in the division by a decent margin already.

Al-Nassr pulled off something of a coup by convincing Brozovic, one of the best midfielders in the world last season, to join from Inter. That they paid just €18m for the Croatia international means he was a bargain, too.

Brozovic has certainly carried last season's form into the current campaign, with his tireless running and bossing of the midfield making him a fan favourite already.

Mitrovic had to force his way out of Fulham over the course of the summer, but he has quickly made himself at home at Al-Hilal.

The Serbia striker has netted 25 goals in 26 games in all competitions, including a memorable hat-trick to beat Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Clasico, and is giving Cristiano Ronaldo a run for his money in the fight to be the Pro League's top scorer in 2023-24.