Salah vows 'I came here to win' after Trabzonspor's 4-0 Europa League hammering

Mohamed Salah has pledged his commitment to Trabzonspor after the Turkish club suffered a chaotic Europa League exit on Thursday, losing 4-0 to Ferencvaros and dropping into the Conference League as a result. The 34-year-old, who joined the Super Lig side following the end of his Liverpool career, was substituted after 64 minutes as his new club were comprehensively beaten.

The fallout extended beyond the final whistle when Trabzonspor head coach Fatih Tekke announced his resignation at a press conference shortly after the match. The club’s board moved quickly to block the move, releasing a statement confirming Tekke would remain in charge.

“Fatih Tekke has decided to resign due to the emotional intensity caused by the defeat following the Ferencvaros match,” the club said. “As the Trabzonspor Board of Directors, Fatih Tekke’s resignation decision has not been accepted. Fatih Tekke continues in his role and will be at the helm of our team in the Amedspor match we will play in the league.”

Salah responded to the turbulent evening with a rallying message posted on X, drawing on his long career to frame the defeat as a setback rather than a turning point.

“Nothing in my career ever came easy,” he wrote. “Bad nights and disappointments are part of football, and I have learned to turn them into motivation and into trophies. Trabzonspor is my club, and I am part of this project, body and soul. Last night will not change that. I know expectations are high, and I truly believe we can and will deliver. ‘I came here to win’ is not just a slogan to me.”

The statement echoes the tone Salah struck when he first arrived in Turkey. After signing a two-year contract, he told supporters: “The last couple of days, it’s an experience I have never had in my life. I’m here to win. I want to win something with this club because you guys have showed me so much love, and I really, really appreciate that.”

Salah departed Liverpool at the end of last season after agreeing to terminate his contract, bringing to a close one of the most decorated individual spells in the club’s modern history. His move to Trabzonspor was greeted with considerable fanfare, but the early weeks of his tenure have been far from smooth, with Thursday’s heavy defeat compounding what has been a difficult start to life in the Super Lig.