Mohamed Salah's move to Trabzonspor is not a surprising decision, because Liverpool has shown signs of preparing for the departure of the Egyptian star months ago.
The first signs appeared from September last year, when Salah suddenly had to sit on the bench in the defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League. Although only coming on for a few minutes, that was the first time Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Salah were on the field together. More importantly, coach Arne Slot's personnel choice in that match was seen as a turning point, signaling that Salah's role in Liverpool's squad is no longer invincible.
By November, the Egyptian striker gradually lost his starting position. The relationship between him and Slot also became tense, before Salah publicly expressed his disappointment with the way he was treated at Anfield. Even Andoni Iraola replacing Slot on the coaching bench could not change Liverpool's decision on the future of the 34-year-old striker.
Salah joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer, and is one of the most sensational deals in Turkish football history. With a salary estimated at about 17 million Euros per year, he became the brightest star in Super Lig.
However, looking back at Salah's position just a year ago, this is still a significant step back in his career. In the summer of 2025, after a season scoring 29 goals and having 18 assists in the Premier League, very few people thought he would leave Liverpool to join Turkey's fourth-largest team.
However, Salah's appearance still creates a special attraction. He joined a team with names like Sidny Cabral, Andre Onana or Paul Onuachu, but the quality of the squad is clearly not comparable to the teammates that Salah used to play for at Liverpool.
This deal also reflects the increasing ambition of Turkish teams. With the ability to pay attractive salaries for Salah, Super Lig is proving that they are strong enough to compete with many top European leagues in the race to sign stars. Besides Salah, this league also gathers many names such as Victor Osimhen, Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane, Ederson or Leandro Trossard, although most have passed their peak period.
Salah's choice of Trabzonspor also shows that European "giants" no longer consider him a priority in the transfer market. The Egyptian striker's agent once contacted AS Roma, but the deal did not progress. This partly reflects the general assessment that Salah is no longer at his peak of his career.
However, he still managed to leave his mark in the last major matches at Liverpool. The explosive performance against Galatasaray in the Champions League is clear proof of Salah's class. However, immediately after that, he disappointed in the confrontation with Paris Saint-Germain.
It is likely that this will also be the last time fans witness him playing in the Champions League. In Trabzonspor's colors, Salah's goal will be to conquer the Europa League or Conference League if the team does not pass the play-off round.
Notably, Salah still chooses to stay in European football instead of moving to Saudi Arabia or MLS. Sporting Kansas City once approached him, while Saudi Arabian clubs have also expressed interest many times. However, cultural, religious and geographical distance near Egypt are considered important reasons why Trabzonspor became Salah's destination.
Despite receiving attractive benefits, Salah can hardly maintain his commercial appeal as when he wore the Liverpool shirt. That is what makes many people regret when one of the biggest symbols of the Premier League is no longer present in the top playground.
On Liverpool's side, the biggest problem is that they have not yet found a worthy successor. The Anfield team has been preparing for Salah's departure for many months and once tried their best to pursue Yan Diomande, but the Ivory Coast talent finally chose Real Madrid.
Therefore, when Salah has started a new chapter in his career, Liverpool still has to continue their journey to find a "new Salah" to open the next era.
