Can Trabzonspor's surprise signing of Mo Salah change the landscape of Turkish football?

[infobox id="c5ce5f5a-ccb6-468f-9fce-bb4a330c372a" /][p]The Egyptian King still has an awful lot to give the game, and the expectation might well have been that he would've signed for one of the big Italian teams as his next step, before finishing his career in Turkey or elsewhere, with respect.[/p][h2]Carragher can't understand [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/salah-mohamed/08FBycgB/"]Salah[/a]'s intentions[/h2][p]Former [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] ace Jamie Carragher certainly believed that such a trajectory would have been more befitting of the 34-year-old's enviable talents.[/p][p][b]"I was convinced he'd end up at an [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ac-milan/8Sa8HInO/"]AC Milan[/a] or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/juventus/C06aJvIB/"]Juventus[/a] or somewhere like that, but maybe his wages were a problem,"[/b] he was quoted as saying once the news broke.[/p][embed guid="bbf4f323-56ea-445c-ae60-8f46384dc502" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2084740846117683447" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"He's like Ronaldo, he's so driven, his numbers mean so much to him. I thought he'd want to play at a real prestigious club, and I just think he's better than that."[/b][/p][p]Of course, a reported £363,000 per week salary after tax may well have had something to do with Salah's decision.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/trabzonspor/MmsYDc03/"]Trabzonspor[/a] out to break dominance of Turkey's big two[/h2][p]That said, Trabzonspor finished third last season as well as in 2023/24, so the thinking behind the move could also have had something to do with breaking the dominance of the big two in Turkey, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/galatasaray/riaqqurF/"]Galatasaray[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/fenerbahce/MsbmracL/"]Fenerbahce[/a].[/p][p]In the last three seasons, Trabzonspor have scored 69, 58 and 61 goals collectively in the Turkish top flight, and in two of those campaigns, the top two were netting 90+, so Salah's goal output is clearly going to be valued.[/p][image alt="Turkish Super Lig final standings 2025/26" id="c3060d2c-3666-441c-99ce-be95ca5072d4" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="dfe4f9ae-c3df-4cfa-8093-7d9948dfb92f" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]With other recognised names in the squad such as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/onana-andre/OCuLGTrI/"]Andre Onana[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/savic-stefan/rXcV9ZCT/"]Stefan Savic[/a], such elite-level experience can only be considered another positive aspect for the forthcoming season.[/p][p]Clearly, having Salah as part of a new-look front line is going to see an upturn in the goals-for column, though it is worth looking at the other aspects to the Egyptian's game, not least his leadership capabilities.[/p][h2]Salah leads by example[/h2][p]Though he's someone who has rarely worn the captain's armband, Salah leads by example. A professional in the truest sense, he's had his moments with managers in the recent past, but he can't be questioned for his professionalism.[/p][p]A real winner, he trains as he plays and will almost certainly expect to see the same from his new teammates, who may not have the ability that Salah possesses, but must deliver consistently in terms of effort, desire and application.[/p][image alt="Mo Salah xG - Premier League 2024/25" id="7b1ee08d-cac4-4239-959e-eef7c5d35b87" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="ce72b2e0-8bd6-4330-8a94-12145f44091a" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p]If they can provide that as a minimum guarantee, the wide man can be the catalyst for success.[/p][p]That's because across the last three seasons, Salah scored 66 goals and provided 43 assists in 128 games, 114 of which he started. Having also hit the woodwork on another 15 occasions during that time, he could have ended up with an astonishing 124 goal contributions in those 128 games.[/p][h2]Solid numbers from the Egyptian King[/h2][p]Despite his advancing years, he also produced 66 fast breaks in the same time frame, at least 27 more than any of his (younger) Liverpool colleagues.[/p][p]396 total shots were over 100 more than any of his teammates, his shot accuracy of 56.49% was the highest of any Reds player who could be considered a regular in the starting XI, and his conversion rate of 16.67% was better than every player bar [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diogo-jota/lr5I22zF/"]Diogo Jota[/a].[/p][image alt="Mo Salah's attacking carries - Premier League 2025/26" id="12c852d4-90d4-44f6-8012-42ab179d0011" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="3bd3d959-5f18-4229-97a0-14544a4da2f5" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p]Although his 75.99% passing accuracy was the lowest in the Liverpool squad bar [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nunez-darwin/Ygo6EZPh/"]Darwin Nunez[/a], to give some perspective on that figure, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alexander-arnold-trent/CEVJy6Bc/"]Trent Alexander-Arnold[/a], who has been universally acclaimed as one of the best passers in the game, posted 78.81%, just a touch above Salah's output.[/p][p]It's worth looking at the other side of his game too, as 932 one-on-one duels contested in three seasons might not sound an awful lot, but only six other players (including defensive midfielders) were involved in more.[/p][p]Even centre-back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/konate-ibrahima/QJlbDbQe/"]Ibrahima Konate[/a] didn't involve himself in as many as the Egyptian.[/p][embed guid="4cd27a5b-384c-440a-969d-c9cf986af4d5" url="https://x.com/LFC/status/2057870364546342937" social-type="twitter" /][p]For any number of reasons, then, Salah's signing can only be positive for Trabzonspor, and for the Super Lig more generally.[/p][p]His presence will hopefully bring the level of his new team up a little, and if he's able to hit the ground running at the start of the season, with a point to prove to people like Carragher, there's no telling just how well next season can go.[/p][infobox id="8a8311c3-81b3-440e-8b49-36091db073d1" /]