Mohamed Salah assisted another goal for Trabzonspor in their 3-0 away win over Samsunspor. The Liverpool legend continues to help his new team turn around their season after a chaotic start to the campaign.
Turnaround After a Nightmare Start
After winning one of their first five matches across all competitions, Trabzonspor have won three of four games since. Salah, 34, scored a hat-trick during their 4-0 triumph over champions Galatasaray.
He has seven goals and three assists in his first nine appearances. The forward is said to be the first foreign Trabzonspor player to score in their opening three home fixtures since the 2000/01 season.
Coaching Change and Immediate Impact
It represents a remarkable turnaround after a nightmare start. Trabzonspor lost 5-0 on aggregate to Ferencvaros in the Europa League play-off round, after which head coach Faith Tekke resigned.
Their replacement, Thomas Reis, has won both of his opening two matches without conceding a single goal. At the other end of the pitch, Salah has made a record-breaking start to life in Turkey.
Record-Breaking Contributions
His ten goal contributions in his first seven league games are a first since records began from the 2014/15 season. His goals and assists have been a telling reflection of his early impact after leaving Anfield this summer.
Trabzonspor currently occupy fourth place in the Super Lig. However, they sit just three points adrift of leaders Galatasaray, demonstrating how fiercely competitive the top of the table is at this stage.
Fixture Congestion Ahead
Besiktas and Kocaelispor both have a game in hand on Salah's side, meaning either could overtake them. Trabzonspor, though, would remain just two points behind in that situation.
It all makes for a fascinating few weeks ahead for Trabzonspor. They must now juggle their Europa Conference League commitments, with fixtures against Freiburg, Hearts of Midlothian, and Finnish Veikkausliiga champions Kuopion Palloseura on the horizon over the coming month.
They will need to navigate those games alongside league clashes with Alanyaspor, Besiktas, Gaziantep and Rizespor. Should Salah and his teammates emerge from that gruelling run with a string of positive results, belief could continue to flourish within a squad that may yet mount a genuine challenge at the very top.
Trabzonspor finished a distant third place last season, eight points behind Galatasaray. That was their highest finish since winning the title in 2022, which was their first in 38 years.
