Beşiktaş President Adalı Addresses Mohamed Salah Transfer Rumors

Beşiktaş president Serdal Adalı has moved to slam the door on the Mohamed Salah saga, insisting the club were never beaten to the Egypt captain’s signature – because they were never in the race.

Speaking to Turkish outlets including A Spor, Adalı drew a hard line under the story that has dominated Beşiktaş’s summer narrative.

“We did not want the Mohamed Salah deal, and this must be clear to everyone,” he said. “We did not sign him, but not because we lost the deal or were unable to bring him in, that talk is not true.”

Salah has joined Trabzonspor, sparking a wave of commentary that Beşiktaş had been outmanoeuvred in the market. Adalı’s version is blunt: there was no battle to lose.

Misread coach, manufactured drama

The Beşiktaş president is particularly irritated by how comments from coach Önder have been used to fuel the story.

“The coach explained the matter in a clear and respectful way when he said: ‘At the present time’,” Adalı pointed out. “But his words were understood incorrectly.”

That single phrase was enough to send speculation spiralling. Suddenly, Beşiktaş were painted as an active bidder, left empty-handed when Trabzonspor swooped.

Adalı rejects that framing outright.

“We could simply have announced then that we had withdrawn from the negotiations,” he said. “But the matter was portrayed as if we were a party to the deal and then another club came and snatched the player, and that is not true and it bothers me.”

For him, this is less about Salah and more about Beşiktaş’s image in the market. The idea that a direct rival could outmuscle them for a marquee name is something he clearly refuses to accept.

No one has snatched a player from us

Since taking office, Adalı believes his record speaks for itself. He drew a clear line between rumour and reality.

“Since I took on the responsibility, no one has been able to snatch away any player we wanted to sign,” he said.

That comment lands with particular weight given the sensitivity of relations among Turkey’s big clubs. Adalı made a point of stressing that there is no bad blood with Trabzonspor despite the noise around Salah.

“Our relationship with Trabzonspor is also good,” he added. “And nothing of this kind could happen between the two clubs.”

The message is deliberate: this is not a transfer war, and Beşiktaş are not licking their wounds.

Transfers ‘going as planned’

Away from the Salah storm, Adalı painted a calm picture of Beşiktaş’s wider transfer strategy. According to him, the club are exactly where they want to be.

“Our deals are going as we planned them, and new players will join us starting next week,” he said.

For Adalı, the obsession with transfer headlines misses the point.

“In the end, what will decide matters is what happens on the pitch, while the transfer hype only lasts a few days.”

It is a familiar refrain from a president under scrutiny: judge us when the football starts, not when the rumours fly.

Trossard paperwork cleared

One of those new faces is Belgian forward Leandro Trossard, and Adalı moved quickly to calm any nerves about his eligibility.

“There is no problem regarding Trossard’s licence, the matter was resolved last night, and we are waiting for the documents to arrive from England,” he confirmed.

Trossard will not feature in the opening match, but the club expect to have him involved shortly after.

“He will not be ready for the first match, but we hope he will feature in the second,” Adalı said, offering a clear timeline for the former Premier League man’s debut.

The ‘Salah chants’ and the president’s expression

Even Trossard’s unveiling could not escape the Salah narrative. During his presentation, some fans chanted Salah’s name, and cameras zoomed in on Adalı’s face. Social media did the rest.

“Everyone talked about the look on my face,” he admitted. “But honestly I did not hear what the fans were chanting at that moment.”

What to many looked like a reaction to losing out on Salah, Adalı insists was nothing of the sort. Yet the incident fed directly into the perception that Beşiktaş had been left embarrassed by the Egyptian’s move to Trabzonspor.

His move was not part of our plans

Adalı’s final words on the subject left little room for interpretation. For him, the Salah story is a distraction built on misread signals and assumptions.

“Much was said based on my facial expressions, as if we had lost the deal, but his move was not part of our plans,” he said.

He also hinted at behaviour from Salah’s camp that did not sit well with Beşiktaş.

“The player's agent did things we had not been accustomed to before,” Adalı revealed. “And I think everything went in the end as it should.”

There was one last promise – or perhaps a warning.

“As time passes the picture will become clear,” he said, “and everyone will understand why this deal was not completed.”

For now, Salah is in Trabzon, Trossard is on his way into the Beşiktaş side, and Adalı has drawn his line in the sand. The next verdict will not come from a press conference or a chant, but from the league table.