Hafid Derradji Critiques Salah's Trabzonspor Move: What a Shame
Mohamed Salah’s debut in Turkey was never going to pass quietly. Not for a player who spent years shredding defences in the Premier League and the Champions League. Not for a forward who built a legacy at Liverpool that pushed him into the conversation with the game’s biggest names.
So when Salah finally pulled on the Trabzonspor shirt for the first time, coming off the bench in the 59th minute of a 1-1 draw against Kasimpasa in the opening league game of the season, the reaction was instant. Praise, curiosity – and sharp criticism.
One of the strongest voices came from Algerian commentator Hafid Derradji, who took to Facebook and did not hold back.
“What a shame,” he wrote, lamenting the direction of Salah’s career choice rather than the player himself. Derradji’s argument was blunt: with the status Salah earned on European pitches, he could have stayed at the very top level and chosen a club more aligned with his technical ambitions.
From Derradji’s perspective, the issue isn’t whether Trabzonspor are a serious club. They are. They carry weight in Turkey, both financially and in terms of support. Their fanbase is passionate, their ambitions real.
But for a player who lit up Anfield and terrorised Europe’s elite, Derradji believes the move does not quite fit. Technically, he feels, the step doesn’t match the standing Salah cemented at Liverpool.
The Algerian pointed towards Turkey’s traditional heavyweights as the kind of stage he believes Salah still deserves. A switch to Galatasaray or Fenerbahce, he argued, would have brought fiercer competition, greater pressure and a stronger European platform. Those clubs, with their regular presence in continental competitions and constant demand for trophies, would have tested Salah in ways he insists the Egyptian can still handle.
That’s the heart of Derradji’s criticism: not that Salah is finished, but that he’s still too good to lower the bar. He insisted the forward has not lost his shine and can continue at the top for several more years. The problem, in his eyes, lies in the choice of project, not the player’s level.
Salah’s move to Trabzonspor has drawn intense attention precisely because of that lingering belief. After eventful, trophy-laden years at Liverpool, every new step he takes becomes a debate. Fans, pundits and commentators pore over the implications, weighing legacy against opportunity, comfort against challenge.
For some, this transfer is a fresh chapter in a different footballing culture, with a club desperate to harness his star power. For Derradji, it is a missed chance to stretch the limits of a career that still has room to climb.
The spotlight will now follow every touch he takes in a Trabzonspor shirt. If he dominates, the question won’t disappear: did he choose the right mountain to conquer?
