Fatih Terim Praises Salah's Historic Transfer to Trabzonspor
Fatih Terim has seen just about everything in Turkish football. Yet even he paused at Mohamed Salah in a Trabzonspor shirt.
On the eve of a stormy night at Papara Park, where Trabzonspor host old rivals Galatasaray in a no‑prisoners sixth‑round clash in the Trendyol Super League, the legendary coach called Salah’s arrival “one of the most important transfers in the history of the Turkish league.”
The timing could hardly be sharper. Trabzonspor, ninth with 7 points and still searching for stability, are trying to plant their feet in front of their own fans. Galatasaray come in as league leaders on 13 points, almost flawless, already sniffing an early break at the top.
Into that tension walks Salah — and Terim is in no doubt about the scale of what Trabzonspor have pulled off.
“He could go anywhere he wants”
Speaking to Turkish outlet 61saat, the former Galatasaray and Turkey boss underlined just how unlikely this transfer once seemed.
“We are talking about a player who has been at the highest level for years with Liverpool, and has won everything,” Terim said. “The Europa League, the Champions League, and Club World Cups. He is a player who is indispensable.”
Then came the context that makes his move to Trabzon even more striking.
“Any club in the world would wish to sign him,” Terim continued. “Clubs from the Emirates and Saudi Arabia are ready to pay enormous sums for him, not to mention the giants of the Spanish, Italian and English leagues. But in the end he chose Trabzonspor, and this in itself is a great achievement.”
He turned his back on the money of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He ignored the pull of Europe’s biggest domestic stages. He chose a city on the Black Sea, a club that lives on emotion and defiance.
For Terim, that choice reflects as much on the club as on the player.
A special salute to the board
The 70-year-old did not hide his admiration for the work done behind the scenes.
President Ertuğrul Doğan and his board, Terim stressed, pulled off something extraordinary.
“President Ertuğrul Doğan and his administration deserve every appreciation and congratulation,” he said. “Bringing in a player of this world-class value is not an easy matter at all, as he is able to go anywhere he wants. What happened is a momentous thing and deserves praise.”
In a league where Turkish clubs are often forced to watch their best talents depart for bigger budgets and brighter lights, Trabzonspor have flipped the script. They have brought in a global star at the peak of his fame, not at the end of it.
And Salah has wasted no time justifying the fuss.
A rocket start in the Super League
The Egyptian forward has exploded into life in the Trendyol Super League. Four goals and one assist in just five matches have already made him the standout figure of the competition.
He hasn’t just arrived; he has taken over.
Defenders are already doubling up. Stadiums are already rising when he touches the ball. The league, in the space of a few weeks, has found a new leading man.
Now comes the real examination. A Trabzonspor side trying to climb the table. A Galatasaray team setting the early pace. A stadium that rarely sits still when the old rivalry is renewed.
Salah turned down fortunes elsewhere to be here, in this moment, in this match. How far can that decision reshape the balance of power in Turkish football this season?
