Mohamed Salah chose football over money with Trabzonspor move, says Liverpool great Steve Nicol

Mohamed Salah’s move from Liverpool to Trabzonspor surprised Steve Nicol, who says the Egypt forward’s decision showed he is motivated by football rather than money.

Nicol, who made 458 appearances for Liverpool, had expected Salah to move to Saudi Arabia when he left Anfield. The former Liverpool player believes that, at the age of 34, Salah is now focused on enjoying his football and scoring goals again.

“I was a little surprised when Mohamed Salah moved to Trabzonspor,” Nicol told FilGoal.com. “Like everyone else, I expected him to go to Saudi Arabia because of the money, but I think we should admire what he did. He does not play for money, that is for sure.”

“When you reach the age of 34, you do not lose your ego or your confidence, but they calm down a little. You start thinking about really enjoying what you do. He is scoring goals again, and what more could a footballer enjoy than that?”

Nicol believes Salah’s achievements at Liverpool place him among the club’s greatest-ever players. He said the forward is comfortably in the top 10 and could reasonably be considered among the top five.

“Easily, I would put Salah among the top 10 players in Liverpool’s history,” Nicol said. “I would even argue that he deserves to be among the top five players ever. That is how great Mohamed Salah was with Liverpool.”

Although Nicol would have preferred Salah to end his career at Liverpool, he believes the timing of the transfer was right.

“I definitely would have liked him to finish his career with Liverpool, but unfortunately, as happens with all players, things change,” he said.

“In my opinion, when he left, it was the right time. I am sure he will enjoy his time at Trabzonspor, and it already seems that he is enjoying himself there.”

Hassan can use Celtic as a route to England

Nicol also discussed the prospects of Haitham Hassan after his move to Celtic, saying the Scottish Premiership could provide the winger with a valuable route towards the English Premier League.

“One of the benefits Haitham Hassan will get from playing in Scotland is being close to the English league,” Nicol said.

He pointed to Virgil van Dijk’s career as an example. The Netherlands defender played for Celtic before moving to Southampton and eventually becoming one of Liverpool’s greats.

Nicol expects Hassan to find an attacking style of football at Celtic, where supporters value players who take the game forward and challenge defenders directly.

“Scottish fans love watching this type of player,” he said. “They do not like seeing the ball go backwards or move sideways from one side to another. They want to see players move forward, attack opponents and take defenders on directly.”

Hassan spent last season with Real Oviedo, who struggled in the Spanish league. Nicol believes that difficult campaign limited the amount of possession and attacking opportunities available to the player.

“I think this is a good move for Haitham Hassan,” he said. “At Real Oviedo last season, they obviously struggled in the Spanish league, so he did not get the ball very often. He spent more time defending than attacking, and of course his greatest strength is his ability to take on defenders and beat them.”

Nicol added that Celtic’s dominance in Scotland should give Hassan more opportunities to play in the attacking areas of the pitch. Celtic won the Scottish league last season and, as the strongest team in Scotland, are expected to have plenty of possession.

“Celtic, as the strongest team in Scotland after winning the Scottish league last season, will have a lot of the ball and many opportunities to face defenders and beat them,” Nicol said.

“The more he does that, the more consistent he will become, because I think consistency is one of his weaknesses at the moment. But, as I said, with more possession, more of the ball and more opportunities, I have no doubt he can become more consistent and show his ability regularly, especially in attack and in creating chances.”

Nicol won the European Cup once with Liverpool, along with four English league titles, two Community Shield trophies, two League Cups and three FA Cups.

He also won 27 caps for Scotland, providing two assists.