Mohamed Salah has joined Trabzonspor, Turkey’s fourth-largest club, on a reported salary of €17 million per year, completing a move that drew an euphoric reception from fans at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday. The signing, reported by The Independent, marks the end of Salah’s time at Liverpool following a season in which his relationship with manager Arne Slot deteriorated sharply.
The Egyptian forward arrived as a free agent, yet the club he has joined is a notable step down from the elite level he occupied for nearly a decade. His arrival is being described as the most significant signing in Trabzonspor’s history.
How Salah’s Liverpool Career Unravelled
The signs emerged early. Salah was left on the bench for Liverpool’s Champions League defeat to Galatasaray in September, coming on for just six minutes in what proved a brief, notable cameo: it marked the first occasion that Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Salah all shared a pitch together under Slot’s management.
That benching foreshadowed a more permanent demotion in November. Salah later claimed publicly that Liverpool had thrown him under the bus. Relations never recovered.
Why No Bigger Club Came In
The timing of Salah’s departure is striking. A year earlier, coming off a Premier League season that produced 29 goals and 18 assists, he would have attracted considerably stronger interest on a free transfer. Instead, as The Independent reports, his camp is understood to have approached his former club Roma, and no traditional top-tier suitor materialised.
Trabzonspor finished third in the Turkish Super Lig last season and are set to compete in the Europa League, though a play-off against Ferencvaros or Gornik Zabrze could yet see them drop into the Conference League.
Turkey as a Destination for Established Names
Salah’s move fits a broader pattern. The Super Lig already features Victor Osimhen, Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson, Leandro Trossard, and Leroy Sane. Most are in the later stages of their careers. Turkish clubs are able to outbid French, Spanish, German, and Italian rivals on wages for established players, and the league is developing a reputation as a well-paid final chapter for top-level footballers.
Salah rejected interest from Sporting Kansas City, opting to remain in European competition rather than move to MLS.
What Salah Brings to Trabzonspor
His new teammates include Sidny Cabral, the Cape Verdean forward who scored one of the goals of the 2026 World Cup, goalkeeper Andre Onana, and Paul Onuachu, who has a strong scoring record in Belgium and Turkey. Few carry the profile of Salah’s former Liverpool colleagues.
His most recent performance against Turkish opposition offered encouragement. Salah was outstanding during a 15-minute spell against Galatasaray at Anfield in March. His subsequent display against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League was far less effective, and may prove his last appearance in that competition. Trabzonspor’s Europa League path is not guaranteed.
Salah turns 35 in June 2027. At €17m a year, Trabzonspor are making a significant financial commitment on a forward whose peak years now appear to be behind him, at least at club level.
This report is based on a single source, yahoo.com, and has not been independently verified.
