A mysterious meeting and 5 days: how Trabzonspor snatched Mohamed Salah
The president's smile tells the story
Mohamed Salah's move to Trabzonspor was no ordinary transfer. It was a fully integrated project, one in which the Turkish club bet on the power of its supporters, the influence of the city and the standing of the Egyptian star, and pulled off one of the most talked-about deals of the summer.
Salah signed a two-year contract in front of around 35,000 supporters inside Papara Park. Beside him stood club president Ertugrul Dogan, wearing a broad smile, well aware that Trabzonspor had landed a deal that goes beyond the bounds of football.
Dogan told the British Broadcasting Corporation «BBC»: «He is the biggest Muslim footballer in the world, and he is an influential role model. We held his signing ceremony in front of 35,000 people. It was clear from everything he did that he felt the scale of the love he receives, and he expressed that to us as well, and he offered us his thanks».
One question loomed over the deal before it closed: how did Trabzonspor persuade a player of Salah's stature to join, despite having no Champions League football and just one Turkish league title since their golden era in the 1970s and 1980s?
For Dogan, the answer lies in the city's identity and its exceptional bond with the club. He said: «I have always said that Trabzonspor and the city of Trabzon represent something exceptional, as we are the biggest city in the world represented by just one club».
He added: «We asked Salah: why should you choose Trabzonspor now? And we told him about the city, and we said to him: rest assured that you will meet a group of supporters like no other, and you will feel the sincere love that these people hold in their hearts».
Trabzon sits on the Black Sea coast, close to the border with Georgia, home to around 800,000 people. Yet it doesn't rank among Turkey's 20 largest urban centres.
The club president: a businessman from Trabzon
Born in January 1977, Ertugrul Dogan hails from Trabzon itself. The Turkish businessman built his fortune across real estate and the hazelnut trade, before turning to the energy sector and working in biofuels.
Dogan took over the presidency of Trabzonspor in 2023, shortly after one of the club's best seasons in recent years, when they won the Turkish league title in the 2021-2022 campaign.
Under his leadership, the team, known as the «Storm of the Black Sea», finished their last three Turkish league seasons in third, seventh and third place respectively.
Last season brought the Turkish Cup under coach Fatih Tekke, who is now chasing Europa League qualification despite losing the first leg at home to Hungary's Ferencvaros by one goal to nil in the qualifying round.
Salah part of Trabzon's new project
Dogan doesn't see the Salah deal as a standalone step. He places it within a bigger project aimed at turning Trabzonspor into a magnet for talent and stars. He said: «We are working to make Trabzonspor and the city of Trabzon a preferred destination for talented young players from all over the world».
The plan, he explained, is to develop these players and let them move to bigger European clubs later, while keeping experienced stars capable of making a difference. He added: «Salah is a wonderful example of this, whether in terms of his lifestyle, his professionalism, his smile or his positive energy».
During the summer window, Trabzonspor turned a healthy profit from selling Ivorian midfielder Christ Inao Oulai, aged 20, to Fiorentina, and Brazilian forward Felipe Augusto, aged 22, to Zenit Saint Petersburg, after just one season each.
They plugged the gaps with a group of young players from Albania, Belgium, Cape Verde and Portugal, but they were also hunting for names with greater experience.
Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana returned for a second season on loan from Manchester United, yet the Salah deal remains the most impactful for the club in fan and marketing terms. Dogan said: «You cannot easily assign a direct monetary value to the interest and level of engagement that this deal has generated around the world».
Immediate impact
The Trabzonspor president revealed that Salah would earn an annual salary of 17 million euros, along with 20% of the revenue from sales of products bearing his name. He explained: «From a purely financial perspective, the deal does not generate a direct return in itself».
The Egyptian star's impact showed quickly, though, after the club raised season ticket prices again to coincide with the announcement of his signing. Dogan said: «I told the fans: look, I am bringing you Salah, one of the biggest stars in the world».
Season ticket sales in the first four or five days after the announcement, he revealed, covered around 70% of Salah's annual salary.
Having initially aimed to sell 25,000 season tickets, the club now expects to break the 30,000 barrier, just as major companies enter negotiations to tap into the enormous interest sparked by the Egyptian's arrival. Dogan said: «We are currently holding important discussions in Turkey, Europe and the Arab world as well».
A deal that began at the World Cup
Trabzonspor's victory in the race to sign Salah, after nine exceptional seasons at Liverpool, stunned many, especially as expectations had pointed towards a move to the Saudi league or a stint in the United States alongside Lionel Messi.
Yet Dogan insists talks with Salah moved fast once official contacts began. He said: «As soon as we started talking, both parties showed a very sincere desire to reach an agreement. In fact, we had been seeking to sign him since the World Cup, but we knew at the start that he was negotiating with other clubs as well».
Trabzonspor had to wait, Dogan said, because other Turkish clubs were also in talks with the player. Once they pulled out, Trabzonspor pounced. He said: «After those clubs announced their withdrawal from the deal, we began the negotiations. I think it took about five or six days to complete it».
The talks opened with a meeting over «Zoom», the aim at first simply for both parties to get to know each other. Dogan explained: «Salah was on holiday on the island of Mykonos at the time, and after that the talks resumed once again via Zoom».
Once an agreement was struck, the club brought Salah to Turkey for his medical in Istanbul rather than Trabzon. That choice was no accident. The club wanted Salah to see for himself the scale of the reception awaiting him across Turkey, not only in Trabzon.
Thousands of supporters flooded the airport to welcome him on arrival, even though it fell in the middle of an ordinary working day. The scene laid bare just how popular the Egyptian star is inside Turkey.
Salah begins his journey with «Storm of the Black Sea»
Salah made his first appearance in a Trabzonspor shirt in Istanbul, coming off the bench in the second half against Kasimpasa, a 1-1 draw in the opening round of the Turkish league.
His first match at Trabzon is expected next, amid enormous fan anticipation.
Dogan sums up the bond between city and club in a single sentence: «The whole city lives for football. Wherever you go, and in every corner, the city gives that player overwhelming energy and happiness».
Trabzonspor have completed one of the biggest deals in their history. And it seems the president's smile will not be a fleeting moment from Salah's presentation, but the title of a new era the Turkish club is living thanks to the Egyptian star.
