The difference is there was already a huge interest in the league before Sky were involved. The money attracted better players which inevitably improved things but it was a high standard anyway. There were pros and cons to all the Sky money from the start, and that’s still the case now.
The Saudi league is like playing a game of football manager and signing these superstars for a couple of league 2 teams…but with no progression to more competitive leagues. Personally I don’t see any positives at all, they are gaming the system and transfers between Saudi based and Saudi owned clubs will go through the roof, despite what the FA say. This will have a negative on effect to all other “normal” clubs.
There’s not a chance I’ll watch the Saudi league, no matter who signs for them. They will try to form a breakaway league in the next couple of years anyway.