Mohamed Salah: Why Liverpool legend chose Trabzonspor

Salah’s move is the latest sign of Turkish football’s growing appeal to established stars.

Victor Osimhen, Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan, Nathan Ake and Leandro Trossard are among the high-profile names now playing in the Super Lig, while Andre Onana, Ruslan Malinovskyi and Stefan Savic are already part of Trabzonspor’s squad.

Last summer, the Super Lig recorded the third-highest net transfer spend in world football behind only the Premier League and Saudi Pro League, highlighting the league’s increasing ambition.

The economics behind that spending are unusual.

Turkey’s biggest clubs generate substantial income in euros through Uefa competition while many domestic operating costs remain in Turkish lira.

The country’s prolonged period of high inflation has also reduced the relative value of existing domestic debt, giving clubs greater flexibility than might initially appear.

Financially, Trabzonspor were therefore able to present Salah with an attractive package.

Reports in Turkey say he has signed a two-year contract until June 2028 worth around £7.3m per season, below the salary he could reportedly have earned in Saudi Arabia, with additional bonuses and a share of merchandise revenue linked to his name.

The result is a league capable of offering competitive salaries, passionate fanbases and European football to players entering the latter stages of their careers.

Jack believes the competition’s profile is continuing to rise.

“The league is getting stronger every year and you’re seeing more and more big names joining,” he said.

“Salah is probably the biggest name to move to Turkey in recent years. It shows the league is growing and it might persuade other top players to consider going there. There are great stadiums, great cities and it’s a competitive league.”

His own experience reinforced that impression.

“I loved it,” Jack added. “Everyone helps you settle in and the people are really friendly. When foreign players arrive, the clubs do everything they can to help them.”