Thomas Reis says Trabzonspor need more than Mohamed Salah to win

Trabzonspor have appointed German manager Thomas Reis after dismissing Fatih Tekke because of the club’s poor results.

Reis spoke to the Trabzonspor website after signing his contract and said he had accepted the opportunity quickly because of the club’s stature.

“When you receive an offer from a big club like Trabzonspor, you accept it quickly without wasting much time,” he said. “I could not turn down the project Trabzonspor presented to me.”

The new manager also revealed that he had spoken to Egypt international Mohamed Salah, describing the prospect of working with a player of his ability as a major attraction.

“I also spoke to Mohamed Salah, and we had a conversation,” Reis said. “Working with a player of his level could be one of the best things that can happen to any manager.”

However, Reis stressed that Trabzonspor’s success could not depend on Salah alone and said every player would have a role to play.

“We do not need Salah alone to win matches; we need all the players,” he said. “We need all 11 of our players to perform very well. We will also ask him to help defensively from time to time.”

Reis intends to give Salah freedom in attack, but believes the team must provide the platform for him to use his creativity without being forced to cover excessive ground.

“Of course, I will give Salah freedom in attack,” he added. “If we can defend well, win the ball back quickly and get it to him without making him run too much, we will certainly benefit from his creativity and quality.”

The German manager said Salah’s willingness to contribute defensively was also an important part of his value to the team.

“When you watch Salah closely and see how much he wants to help the team defensively, you realise how important this player is,” Reis said. “He shows how determined he is to achieve success.”

Reis also referred to his previous work at Samsunspor, where he said his teams had sometimes used transitions effectively. He made clear, however, that this was only one possible approach rather than the basis of his entire footballing philosophy.

“I have always started my career with a mentality of few words and a lot of work,” he said. “During my time at Samsunspor, there were periods when we executed transitions well, but that is only one of the options we can use. You can benefit from many different aspects.”

Reis called for players who are prepared to handle pressure and contribute to winning matches, while acknowledging that he would have more time to work with the squad after the international break.

“If you are afraid to play in a big match, you should not be here,” he said. “This place is not suitable for you, and we must choose players who will bring us victories. After the international break, we will have much more time to work. I can promise you that we will work together to improve our team’s situation considerably.”