Beşiktaş President Adalı Addresses Mohamed Salah Transfer Saga

Beşiktaş president Serdal Adalı has finally addressed the saga surrounding Mohamed Salah’s move to Trabzonspor – and he did it with one blunt message: this was never Beşiktaş’s race to lose.

For days, Turkish football has buzzed with the same narrative: Beşiktaş wanted Salah, Trabzonspor swooped in, and the Istanbul club were left empty‑handed. Adalı, speaking to several Turkish outlets including A Spor, tore that storyline apart.

“We did not want the Mohamed Salah deal, and this must be clear to everyone,” he said. “We did not sign him, but not because we lost the deal or were unable to bring him in, that talk is not true.”

That line sets the tone. This was not a president explaining defeat. It was a president rejecting the idea that there was even a contest.

“At the present time” – and a storm from one phrase

According to Adalı, the confusion started with comments from coach Onder, whose words were quickly dragged into the transfer storm.

“The coach explained the matter in a clear and respectful way when he said: ‘At the present time’, but his words were understood incorrectly,” Adalı insisted.

From there, the story ran away. Beşiktaş were painted as active bidders, then supposedly outgunned when Trabzonspor stepped in. That version clearly irritates the president.

“We could simply have announced then that we had withdrawn from the negotiations,” he said. “But the matter was portrayed as if we were a party to the deal and then another club came and snatched the player, and that is not true and it bothers me.”

The message is deliberate: Beşiktaş, under Adalı, do not get “snatched” in the market.

“No one has been able to snatch away any player we wanted”

Since taking charge, Adalı is keen to underline a record he sees as unblemished.

“Since I took on the responsibility, no one has been able to snatch away any player we wanted to sign,” he declared.

It is a statement of authority, but also a clear defence of the club’s transfer strategy in a window dominated by noise, rumour and social media verdicts. He even moved to cool any suggestion of bad blood with Trabzonspor over Salah.

“Our relationship with Trabzonspor is also good, and nothing of this kind could happen between the two clubs,” he said.

So while the public debate has pitched the two clubs as rivals in a high-profile chase, Adalı is adamant: there was no tug of war, no rivalry, no grudge.

Transfers “as we planned them”

Away from the Salah storm, the Beşiktaş president painted a picture of a club working to a clear script.

“Our deals are going as we planned them, and new players will join us starting next week,” he said.

He pushed the spotlight back to where he believes it belongs.

“In the end, what will decide matters is what happens on the pitch, while the transfer hype only lasts a few days.”

It is a pointed reminder. Social media may obsess over every twist in a negotiation, but presidents are judged over seasons, not hashtags.

Trossard’s licence and the wait for England

Adalı also moved to clarify the situation around Belgian forward Leandro Trossard, whose registration had sparked questions.

“There is no problem regarding Trossard’s licence, the matter was resolved last night, and we are waiting for the documents to arrive from England,” he confirmed.

The timeline is tight, though.

“He will not be ready for the first match, but we hope he will feature in the second.”

In a window full of speculation, this was one area where Adalı wanted zero doubt: Trossard is coming, the paperwork is on its way, and the plan is already set for his introduction.

The “look” during Salah chants

If the transfer saga wasn’t enough, Adalı even found himself defending his facial expressions.

During Trossard’s presentation, fans chanted Salah’s name. Cameras caught the president’s reaction; social media did the rest. Screenshots, slow-motion replays, and wild interpretations of a single look followed.

“Everyone talked about the look on my face, but honestly I did not hear what the fans were chanting at that moment,” he said.

In his telling, the supposed “reaction” was a mirage, a narrative built on a freeze frame rather than reality.

“His move was not part of our plans”

Adalı closed with a final, firm dismissal of the idea that Beşiktaş had lost out on Salah.

“Much was said based on my facial expressions, as if we had lost the deal, but his move was not part of our plans,” he said.

There was one more detail he chose to highlight – the conduct around the negotiations.

“The player's agent did things we had not been accustomed to before, and I think everything went in the end as it should. As time passes the picture will become clear, and everyone will understand why this deal was not completed.”

The hint is clear: Beşiktaş saw enough to walk away, or never truly step in, depending on which angle you choose. Adalı’s version leaves no room for regret, only conviction that the club stayed true to its own line.

Salah will wear Trabzonspor colours. Beşiktaş will move on with their own recruits and their own plan. In Adalı’s eyes, that was always how this story was meant to end.