Al-Nassr head coach Luis Castro revealed the process behind the sensational signing of Otavio from Porto in the summer.
Otavio had left Porto in the summer transfer window to complete a £55 million move to join Al-Nassr on a four-year contract.
The Portuguese instantly became a fan-favourite in Riyadh after an impressive start to his Al-Nassr career that saw him score four goals and provide two assists. in 16 league games.
His performances also kept him part of the Portugal national team under Roberto Martinez in the recent Euro qualifiers during the last international break.
Luis Castro praised Otavio and revealed some of the struggles they faced when signing the 28-year-old from Porto.
“What I know is that we wanted Otávio and we didn’t have a budget,” Castro told SportTV. “Because Porto wanted €40 million at once.
“And that wasn’t available. But at that time, Neymar came to Al-Hilal and then the budget was more flexible.
“Then they [Public Investment Fund] had to increase the budget for the other clubs. What was not possible became possible in the form of instalments.
“The sporting aspect is always ahead of all others and you can see how the players are still in their national teams.
“The competition here keeps them at the highest level. People said it’s an easy league. Where are the easy games? Because if it was an easy league, then players’ level would drop,” he added.