Trabzonspor legend says Mohamed Salah can help club ‘write history’

Hami Mandıralı believes Mohamed Salah’s arrival at Trabzonspor has transformed the club’s attacking strength and says the Egypt captain can help them “write history” in Turkey.

Trabzonspor announced the signing of the former Liverpool forward after his contract with the Reds was terminated. Salah has agreed a two-year deal with the Turkish club.

“With Mohamed Salah’s arrival, Trabzonspor have become much stronger offensively and now have an attack of a higher quality,” Mandıralı told FilGoal.com.

The former Trabzonspor great, who is now an administrative adviser to the Turkey national team, said the club had already been regarded as one of the leading contenders for success in the Turkish league before Salah’s move.

“Before Mohamed Salah joined the Turkish league, Trabzonspor were always one of the biggest candidates to compete at the top. Now, with him in the team, the club are much stronger and may write history with us,” he said.

Mandıralı added that Salah’s presence would force opponents to approach matches against Trabzonspor with greater caution.

“His presence will make the opponents more careful and worried on the pitch. Trabzonspor were already a strong team, but with him they have become stronger and have a more powerful system,” he said.

However, Mandıralı warned that Salah’s individual quality could not guarantee success without a collective effort from the rest of the squad.

“All the players must fight for Trabzonspor’s success with Mohamed Salah on the pitch. We have seen that in world and European football: quality is essential, but it is not enough on its own,” he said.

“If you do not fight, and if you do not run as much as your opponents, you will see how difficult your task is in world and European football.”

Mandıralı said he had complete faith in Salah and hoped the forward would demonstrate the confidence placed in him through both his performances and his character.

“I believe Mohamed Salah will add a great deal to Trabzonspor. I believe in him from the bottom of my heart, and I hope he shows on the pitch, through his level and personality, the confidence we have in him and achieves success,” he said.

“If Mohamed Salah succeeds, Trabzonspor will succeed. Everyone who loves Trabzonspor will understand why we love him, and with his success the love and respect for him will grow more and more.”

Salah expected to make Trabzonspor debut soon

Mandıralı also highlighted the influence Salah could have on the club’s younger players, describing him as a senior figure they should study closely.

“When Mohamed Salah is a player in your team, the young players are the ones who should watch him and pay attention to him most. If they are smart, they should learn from him and follow what he does, how he does it, how he lives, how he plays and how he contributes to the team and its success,” he said.

“They should observe all his movements in the dressing room and pay attention to everything he does. I believe these young players will learn a lot from Mohamed Salah, from his manliness and his personality, and we will see that together over time.”

Mandıralı stressed that the club and its supporters must not expect Salah to carry the entire burden.

“We must not leave everything on Mohamed Salah’s shoulders. Trabzonspor have a very important group of players, the club have made important signings, and they have a team embraced by the whole city,” he said.

“He will be like an older brother to the young players, and he knows that. Through his behaviour, performances and personality, this will be inevitable, but the young players must watch him, learn from him and follow in his footsteps.”

Salah was left out of Trabzonspor’s squad for Saturday’s friendly against Goztepe, which ended in a 2-1 defeat, at his own request. The match came only a few days after he joined the club.

The Egypt captain is expected to make his competitive debut in the coming days, when Trabzonspor begin their Turkish league campaign away to Kasımpasa. The match will be played at Kasımpasa Stadium on Saturday at 19:00 and will be broadcast on beIN SPORTS 1.

Trabzonspor have said Salah will earn an annual salary of €10m, along with a €7m signing-on bonus, giving him guaranteed total remuneration of €17m. His contract also includes performance-related financial incentives.

The club added that Salah will receive 20% of the revenue from official products released in his name, while his agent’s commission is 5%, according to the published contract details.

Salah spent nine seasons with Liverpool before moving to Trabzonspor, making 315 appearances, scoring 257 goals and providing 120 assists.

Mandıralı won three trophies with Trabzonspor: two Turkish Cups and one Turkish Super Cup. He said Salah had already earned the affection and respect of people across Europe through his humanity, personality and performances.

“Mohamed Salah is a very important player in Europe and has earned the love and respect of the whole of Europe thanks to his humanity, personality and performances. That is very important and extremely valuable,” he said.

“I do not think he needs to be affected by anything, because Mohamed Salah should not think about changing his identity or becoming someone else.”

Mandıralı added that Trabzonspor’s supporters were delighted by the signing but insisted the club must succeed together.

“If you leave Mohamed Salah on his own, it will not be easy. No player can be a team by himself,” he said.

“If you are a good and strong team, having important players with strong personalities such as Mohamed Salah will give you an even greater advantage and help you overcome the obstacles on your journey. I do not think Mohamed Salah will feel that burden or be under pressure because he is such an important player. He has already proved everything.”