Mohamed Salah signs two-year Trabzonspor deal worth €17m per season after Liverpool exit
Mohamed Salah has signed a two-year contract with Turkish club Trabzonspor on a free transfer, earning €17 million per season plus a 20% share of merchandise sales under his name, after nine years at Liverpool.
The deal
Mohamed Salah has signed a two-year contract with Trabzonspor, the Turkish club announced on Thursday, August 6. The 34-year-old Egyptian forward will earn €17 million ($19.6 million, £14.5 million) per season, a record salary in the Turkish championship, according to Le Parisien. The club's statement to the Turkish stock exchange also specified that Salah will receive a 20% share from products sold under his name, plus conditional bonuses each season. The statement did not disclose how high the bonuses could go or what they are tied to.
Salah joins Trabzonspor on a free transfer after leaving Liverpool at the end of last season. He had been linked with Besiktas in recent days, according to Le Soir, but ultimately chose the club from Trabzon in north-eastern Turkey.
Nine years at Liverpool
Salah spent nine seasons at Liverpool after joining from AS Roma in 2017. During his time at Anfield, he scored 257 goals in 442 appearances and delivered 123 assists, per Le Soir. He won the Premier League twice and the Champions League once.
- Appearances
- 442
- Goals
- 257
- Assists
- 123
His final season was difficult both individually and collectively. His output waned and he was left on the bench in Champions League games, leading to a public spat with Liverpool's then-manager Arne Slot. The New York Times described it as a very difficult campaign that led to a mutually agreed exit. Before Liverpool, Salah started his European career at Swiss side Basel in 2012, later joined Chelsea, and had stints at Fiorentina and AS Roma between 2015 and 2017.
Rockstar welcome in Trabzon
Salah arrived in Istanbul on Wednesday evening wearing Trabzonspor's burgundy and blue kit, where he was already welcomed as a hero. He then travelled to Trabzon, where several hundred supporters gathered at the airport around 8pm despite the club asking fans not to use fireworks and flares to avoid disrupting air traffic. Fans ignored the request, setting off fireworks and smoke flares as Salah, wearing the No. 10 shirt, saluted the crowd and launched chants that were picked up by the supporters.
- Trabzonspor posts first teaser video on social media
- Salah arrives in Istanbul and then Trabzon, greeted by hundreds of fans at the airport
- Club announces official signing and posts 28 Salah-related tweets
- Official unveiling ceremony at Papara Park stadium with flares and chants
The club's social media account posted 28 Salah-related tweets, including the first teaser video at around 11:30pm on August 4. Trabzonspor called their new recruit the "Egyptian king" online. The official unveiling ceremony took place at Papara Park stadium at 7:30pm on Thursday. Flares turned the wall of maroon and blue red, and the stadium looked ablaze as Salah emerged from the tunnel wearing the No. 10 shirt. The New York Times noted that Salah conducted supporters in the traditional Uclu chant, a symbol of the connection between players and fans in Turkey.
What's next for Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor are generally considered the fourth-biggest team in Turkey after Istanbul sides Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas. They finished third in the Super Lig last season, qualifying for the Europa League playoff round in late August. The club's last domestic league championship was in the 2021-22 season, which ended a 38-year title drought. Salah will look to help Trabzonspor regain the title and compete in European competition.
On the international stage, Salah was part of the Egyptian selection that fell 3-2 to Argentina in the Round of 16 at the World Cup, having scored a goal against New Zealand in the group phase.
