Arttuğrul Doğan, president of Trabzonspor Club, spoke about the deal to sign Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, after successfully pulling off a stunning move by securing the services of the former Liverpool player.
Doğan revealed that a conversation took place between him and Mohamed Salah before he joined Trabzon, during which the Egyptian asked him a question about the reason that could convince him to play for his team.
Doğan said in statements published by Turkish outlet "TRT SPOR": "Mohamed Salah asked me, why should I join Trabzonspor?"
He added: "I answered him that in Trabzonspor you will experience a level of love and attention you have never seen in your life at all."
Read also.. Dutch star welcomes playing alongside Mohamed Salah at Trabzonspor
He continued: "When we learned that Beşiktaş was negotiating to sign Salah, we initially paused, but when the other negotiations stalled, we stepped in."
He added: "It took between 5 to 6 days; of course, if you want to sign Salah you have to pay that amount of money, but you cannot sign him here just for the money alone."
Doğan was asked about Darwin Núñez after reports indicated Trabzonspor’s interest in signing him: "Núñez is a very good footballer who achieved great success alongside Mohamed Salah in the Premier League; we currently have no agreement with him, but he is a player admired by us, our coach, and negotiations are still ongoing."
Doğan revealed the truth about Trabzonspor’s reported interest in signing Boca Juniors midfielder Leandro Paredes: "Paredes was not offered to us by our coach; we do not discuss names the coach has not brought forward. There are names on offer to bolster the midfield and striker positions."
Doğan continued about the Mohamed Salah deal: "His arrival was an absolutely wonderful deal for the children of Trabzon; we lacked star players. It was a deal born of clear vision, and we hope to see similar stars in the future."
He resumed: "Mohamed Salah’s deal was also excellent for promoting our city; it generated nearly two billion interactions. This kind of publicity cannot be bought with money."
He mentioned the records set by Trabzonspor after signing Salah: "I believed that if we signed a player of Salah’s stature, our fans would also step up with support and effective contribution. The record for season-ticket sales stood at 14,500 tickets after winning the title, but now, as of this evening, we have sold 24,750 tickets."
He concluded: "Can you say you have signed a player of Salah’s stature before the deal is actually completed? And what would be his impact on the fans and the children, and the level of disappointment before the season starts? I even refused my son’s request at home; he was sitting beside me and I told him no, you have no other choice. It is a very important deal and a process that will take the club to another level in every sense of the word."
