CONFIRMED: Mark Clattenburg quits the Premier League for new role in Saudi Arabia

If we're being honest, not many of us *really* believed those rumours that Mark Clattenburg was about to pack up and leave the Premier League.

At the start of the year, the referee was linked with a money-spinning move to the Chinese Super League, days after picking up an award as the best official in world football. As it's turned out, Clattenburg hasn't gone to China, but has instead taken up a position in Saudi Arabia. And this isn't merely paper talk any more, either. A statement from the The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) confirmed that Clattenburg is poised to move to Saudi Arabia. The full statement reads:

The Professional Game Match Officials would like to wish Mark Clattenburg well as he prepares for his move to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. Since joining the PGMO Select Group in 2004, Mark developed into one of our top officials, refereeing at the highest level and setting standards for others to follow. His accomplishments are numerous and last season saw Mark achieve a memorable treble, on top of another consistently excellent season in the Premier League, as he officiated three major cup finals – the FA Cup final, the Uefa Champions League final and the Uefa Euro 2016 final. Mark is a talented referee, he has been a great asset to the English game and hopefully an inspiration to those who want to get into refereeing at the grass roots of the game. We understand this is an exciting opportunity for Mark as well as further underlining what high esteem English match officials are held throughout the world game.

At the time of writing, it's unclear how soon Clattenburg will make the move. Catch up with this week's episode of 888sport Football Friday Live