Hafid Derradji Critiques Mohamed Salah's Move to Trabzonspor

Algerian commentator Hafid Derradji has taken aim at Mohamed Salah’s decision to join Trabzonspor, arguing the former Liverpool talisman has settled for a stage beneath his enduring talent.

The veteran broadcaster, one of North Africa’s most prominent voices, reacted sharply after Salah’s debut in Turkey, a 1-1 draw against Kasimpasa in the opening round of the league season. The Egyptian came off the bench in the 59th minute, pulling on Trabzonspor’s colours for the first time in a competitive match. For Derradji, the sight carried as much frustration as intrigue.

On Facebook, he did not hide his disappointment. “What a shame,” he wrote, lamenting that a player who spent years terrorising defences in England and Europe has opted, in his view, for a platform that does not fully reflect the status he carved out at Liverpool.

Derradji’s argument is clear: Salah, even at this stage of his career, still has the legs and the sharpness to compete at the very top. He believes the forward could have continued for several more seasons at the highest level, choosing a club that stretched him technically and kept him under the harshest spotlight.

The criticism is not aimed at Turkey as a destination, nor at Salah’s ability. It is about the choice of club. Derradji pointed specifically to Galatasaray and Fenerbahce as examples of teams that, in his eyes, would have offered fiercer competition, heavier pressure and a stronger presence in European competitions.

Trabzonspor are no minnows. They carry serious financial muscle, a passionate fanbase and a proud domestic history. The move has generated huge interest, as any step taken by Salah inevitably does after his glittering, goal-laden spell at Liverpool. Every new chapter of his career is dissected, debated and replayed in studios and on social media timelines across the football world.

Yet Derradji remains unconvinced that this chapter fits the story. From a purely technical standpoint, he argues, the level does not quite align with the aura Salah built at Anfield, where he rose into the conversation among the game’s biggest global stars.

What Derradji is not saying is just as important. He is not suggesting Salah is finished. On the contrary, he insists the Egyptian has not lost his shine. The touch, the movement, the eye for goal — all of that, he believes, is still there. His objection lies in the scale of the challenge Salah has chosen for this next phase.

So the debate begins. Is this a gentle glide into a different kind of pressure, or the calm before one last surge on the European stage?