Hafid Derradji Critiques Salah’s Trabzonspor Move: What a Shame

Mohamed Salah’s first steps in Turkish football have already sparked a storm of opinion, and one of the loudest voices belongs to Algerian commentator Hafid Derradji. For him, the former Liverpool talisman has chosen the wrong stage for the next act of his career.

The Egyptian forward made his Trabzonspor debut in a 1-1 draw against Kasimpasa, coming off the bench in the 59th minute. The shirt was new. The scrutiny was not. As soon as the final whistle went, the debate began.

Derradji took to Facebook and did not hide his disappointment. “What a shame,” he wrote, lamenting what he sees as a missed opportunity for a player who, in his view, still belongs at the very top of the European game. Salah, he argued, had built a status at Liverpool that put him among the sport’s elite and could have carried on at that level for several more years.

For Derradji, the issue is not whether Trabzonspor are a serious club. He recognises their financial strength and passionate backing. The problem, in his eyes, lies in the technical ceiling. He believes the move does not reflect the standard Salah reached at Anfield, where he became one of world football’s biggest stars.

The Algerian pointed to Turkey’s traditional heavyweights as a more fitting destination. A switch to Galatasaray or Fenerbahce, he suggested, would have brought fiercer competition, greater pressure and a stronger European platform. In that environment, Salah would have faced the kind of relentless demands that once defined his Liverpool years.

Yet Derradji’s criticism stops short of writing the player off. He insisted that Salah “hasn’t lost his shine” and remains a major figure in the global game. His stance is clear: the Egyptian still has the quality, but chose a path that, from a purely footballing standpoint, offers less of a challenge than his talent deserves.

Salah’s arrival at Trabzonspor has drawn intense attention across the football world. After a glittering, often dramatic spell at Liverpool, every twist in his career now becomes a talking point. This move is no exception.

Whether Derradji’s warning proves prescient or harshly premature will be decided not on Facebook, but on Turkish pitches over the months to come.