Salah's Trabzonspor sit third before Conference League tie with Freiburg
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Trabzonspor beat Gaziantep 2-0 to reach 22 points, third in the Super Lig after 10 games.
Salah's side now host Freiburg in Europe under a new coach.
Background
Trabzonspor are a Turkish club based in Trabzon, founded in 1967, seven-time Turkish league champions and nicknamed the Black Sea Storm. They won the last of those titles in 2022 and finished third in the Super Lig last season while also winning the Turkish Cup. This season they signed Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian star and former Liverpool forward, as their number 10 on a two-year contract after his last-16 run with Egypt at the 2026 World Cup. After elimination from the Europa League, coach Fatih Tekke resigned and German coach Thomas Reis, formerly of Bochum and Schalke, took over in September.
How it unfolded
- Aug 5, 2026Trabzonspor announce transfer talks with Mohamed Salah; the club's shares rise 6.5% on the Istanbul stock market.
- Aug 6, 2026The club are set to sign Salah, with a presentation planned at Papara Park as their new number 10.
- Aug 15, 2026Salah debuts as a 58th-minute substitute in a 1-1 Super Lig draw at Kasimpasa.
- Sep 17, 2026Trabzonspor hire German coach Thomas Reis on a two-year contract from Ludogorets, replacing Fatih Tekke, who resigned after Europa League elimination.
- Oct 22, 2026Trabzonspor beat Hearts 2-0 in the Conference League, one of several wins in a strong run.
- Nov 1, 2026Trabzonspor beat Gaziantep FK 2-0 at home; Stefan Savic and Ernest Muci score, leaving the club third on 22 points after 10 matches, three behind leaders Galatasaray.
- Nov 5, 2026Trabzonspor host Freiburg in the UEFA Conference League at Papara Park, kickoff 17:45 GMT.
Key terms
- Conference League
- An annual European club football competition organized by UEFA since 2021, ranking as the third tier below the Europa League and Champions League.
- Super Lig
- The top professional football league in Turkey, contested by eighteen clubs each season.
- Europa League
- An annual European club football competition organized by UEFA, the second tier below the Champions League.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Trabzonspor announced the Salah talks with the statement "We've started transfer talks with Mohamed Salah, he's coming to Istanbul!"
- Party
- Salah said in a video message before the move: "Trabzon are you ready? I can hear you. See you very soon."
- Caution
- Former coach Fatih Tekke called the 1-1 draw with Kasimpasa "a sad start today" and said it was a game the team had to win.
Still unverified
Salah's reported salary of €17 million ($19.6m) per season comes from ESPN sources.