Trabzonspor president reveals how Mohamed Salah was persuaded to join Turkish club

Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan says Mohamed Salah was attracted to the Turkish club by more than money, despite acknowledging that finances were an important part of the deal.

The former Liverpool forward has signed a two-year contract with Trabzonspor after ending his agreement with the Reds.

Speaking to TRT Spor, Dogan explained that the club had to offer a competitive package to secure Salah’s signature but could not rely on financial terms alone.

“When we reached the point of persuading Salah, I said that money was part of it, of course. If you want to sign Mohamed Salah, you have to pay him money,” Dogan said.

“But you cannot bring Mohamed Salah here with money alone, because there are clubs that can pay more than us.”

Dogan said he instead tried to present Trabzonspor as a club where Salah would receive an exceptional level of affection and respect.

“Everything may or may not be available, and we may or may not reach an agreement, but I stressed to him that at Trabzonspor he would see a level of love, interest and appreciation that he had never experienced before,” he added.

The Trabzonspor president said the club also focused on its history, its supporters and the city itself during discussions with the Egypt captain.

“We showed him our celebrations of winning trophies, told him the history of the club, spoke to him about the city and its situation, and explained our view of football,” he said.

Dogan also highlighted the role played by Egypt international Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet, who has previously represented Trabzonspor.

“Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet played a major role and was extremely important. He spoke to him constantly and explained things to him, because having someone from his country who had played here and could talk to him about the experience was important,” Dogan said.

The negotiations were then brought to a conclusion at a formal meeting.

“After that, we held a serious meeting and reached an agreement. The process did not take long,” Dogan added.

He also praised Salah’s legal representative for helping the deal progress smoothly.

“Salah’s lawyer had a very positive attitude towards us, and we did not face any problems with him,” Dogan said.

Salah is expected to make his official debut for Trabzonspor within the next few days, having been left out of the squad for Saturday’s friendly against Goztepe. Trabzonspor lost that match 2-1, with Salah requesting not to be involved because it came only a few days after he joined the club.

The Egypt captain is now preparing for the start of the Turkish league season.

Trabzonspor’s next fixture will be away to Kasımpasa in the opening round. The match will be played at Kasımpasa’s stadium and is scheduled to kick off at 19:00 on Saturday. It will be broadcast on beIN Sports 1.

The Turkish club has confirmed that Salah will receive an annual salary of 10m euros, together with a 7m-euro signing-on bonus. That gives him guaranteed financial terms worth a total of 17m euros.

His contract also includes further financial incentives linked to his performances during the agreement.

Trabzonspor said Salah would additionally receive 20% of the revenue from official products released in his name. The player’s agent is due a 5% commission, according to the published details of the contract.

Salah spent nine seasons with Liverpool before moving to Trabzonspor. During his time at Anfield, he made 315 appearances, scoring 257 goals and providing 120 assists.