It began with a text sent during the World Cup. Ertugrul Dogan, the president of Trabzonspor, was watching Egypt when he picked up his phone and messaged his manager, Fatih Tekke. “Coach,” it read. “Do you want Mohamed Salah?”Tekke’s response was immediate enthusiasm, though Trabzonspor’s initial push for Salah went under the radar, with Besiktas looking the most likely to land the former Liverpool striker. In Turkish football, Istanbul’s Big Three – Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas – have long held monopoly on the Super Lig’s marquee signings.Istanbul is not the capital but it is the undisputed financial, cultural and commercial heartbeat of the country and wider region. It came as a shock, then, when Salah opted for Trabzonspor. The club are by no means minnows. They form part of the traditional Big Four alongside their Istanbul rivals. Yet the football-crazy port city on the eastern Black Sea coast lacks the cosmopolitan lifestyle Istanbul offers. What it possesses instead is devotion. Most Turkish cities do not have a strong local football identity, with residents supporting one of the major Istanbul sides from afar. Trabzon is one of the few exceptions. The entire region eats, sleeps and breathes for its team.Trabzon is like the Newcastle of Turkey: a proud, working-class city in the northeast with an industrial maritime past, deeply tied to its football club and trying to forge a new identity to adapt to the modern world.Salah’s arrival has thrust a city that often feels politically and geographically sidelined on to the global stage. This transfer is bigger than football. Trabzon wants to revitalise the city as a maritime trade, tourism and logistics hub. The arrival of the Egyptian superstar ensures an even bigger spotlight on the city.The chaotic scenes at Trabzon airport on Wednesday – when supporters turned the terminal into a sea of red flares, followed by tens of thousands packing Papara Park for Salah’s signing ceremony – demonstrated their fervour.Salah could easily have accepted lucrative proposals in the Saudi Pro League or Major League Soccer, but their fan culture pales by comparison. Crucially, the 34-year-old remains in a highly competitive league in the Uefa zone; Trabzonspor need only navigate the playoff rounds for a place in the Europa League group stage.“I am seeing a reception like this for the first time in my life,” Salah told the roaring crowd during his unveiling. “I came here to win trophies. I am here to bring titles to this club.”Trabzonspor supporters light flares as they cheer Mohamed Salah at the Papara Park Stadium in Trabzon. Photograph: Nurgul Gunaydin / AFP via Getty Images Trabzonspor have played the role of disrupters in Turkish football – the Black Sea rebels who broke Istanbul’s stranglehold in the 1970s and most recently won the league title in 2021–22. But never before has a player of this magnitude rejected Istanbul for Trabzon.The Turkish top flight is experiencing a renaissance. Leandro Trossard joined Besiktas after a title-winning campaign with Arsenal; Victor Osimhen continues to spearhead Galatasaray’s attack; while Nathan Aké and Mason Greenwood now line up for Fenerbahce. The league is also developing world-class home-grown talent, with Arda Güler at Real Madrid and Ferdi Kadioglu at Brighton serving as prime examples.Trabzonspor’s pursuit of Salah was executed in the shadows. The club deployed their former winger Mahmoud Hassan – known as Trézéguet – as their secret operative. Salah’s international team-mate spoke with the Egyptian captain daily to help convince him to consider the move.There was a cultural element, too: moving to a welcoming, Muslim-majority nation where Salah and his family could feel immediately at home. Trabzonspor locked him into a two-year contract through to June 2028 and disclosed the financial details on the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP). Salah will earn a base annual salary of €10 million alongside a guaranteed €7 million annual signing bonus, netting him €17 million per season over two years.Mohamed Salah speaks during his signing ceremony at the Papara Park Stadium in Trabzon. Photograph: Nurgul Gunaydin / AFP via Getty Images Because wages in Turkey are paid net, with the club covering all tax liabilities, Salah in effect takes home 50 per cent more than his final Liverpool contract. The deal also includes performance add-ons, a 5 per cent agent’s fee on gross wages and an extraordinary image-rights agreement granting Salah a 20 per cent royalty on all personal merchandise sold through the club’s official TS Club retail network.The commercial return was immediate. Within 24 hours of Salah landing, Trabzonspor sold more than 17,000 season tickets, generating €15 million. Dogan confirmed that total projected revenue from tickets, sponsorships and merchandise during the Salah era is expected to approach €30 million, in effect self-funding the transfer.[ Fifa defends Gianni Infantino and launches attack after ‘effort to undermine’ presidentOpens in new window ]Crucially, Trabzonspor did not overextend themselves. Balanced by roughly €95 million raised in player sales since last season, the transfer is manageable financially. Salah joins a side on an upward trajectory under Tekke. Languishing in 13th when Tekke took over in March 2025, the team recovered to finish eight points behind the champions, Galatasaray, in third and won the Turkish Cup.Tekke added the Valencia defender Cenk Özkacar and the Manchester United loanee André Onana in goal and Trabzonspor are in talks with Darwin Núñez.Taking his favoured number 10 shirt, Salah steps into a side in the ascendant. Yet the challenge remains steep. Galatasaray have won four consecutive league titles, while Besiktas and Fenerbahce have spent lavishly this summer. Trabzonspor will be hoping his arrival serves as a catalyst for a change in fortunes.For Trabzon and the eastern region, however, Salah’s arrival is far more than a transfer story. The tide could be turning back in the favour of the Black Sea Storm. – Guardian