Liverpool star Mohamed Salah spent a year with Premier League rivals Chelsea and despite struggling at Stamford Bridge, his former teammates appear to remember him fondly
Fernando Torres claimed Mohamed Salah ‘deserved more’ at Chelsea despite him going on to become a Liverpool icon. The Egyptian forward was initially brought to England by the Blues back in 2013.
They signed him for £11m from Swiss side Basel back in January 2014 but Salah found opportunities limited at Stamford Bridge. He made just 19 appearances for Chelsea over 12 months, scoring just twice, before a loan move to Italian side Fiorentina.
And Torres, who shared the dressing room with Salah, claimed he was worthy of more chances in West London. Speaking last year, the former striker said: “I remember when he came to England and he was very young and didn’t have the minutes he deserved. He had to move to Italy and prove himself and find a special club for a special player.
“You can see the results of what he did by himself. For me, [he is a] top player and one of the best players in the last 10 years. I always say this, [he is] my favourite player [and] I put him among the best players in the world in the last 10 years.”
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Salah went on to shine with Fiorentina, then moving on to Roma where he eventually stayed permanently. He continued his brilliant form in the Eternal City ahead of a £36.5m move to Liverpool.
Torres was not the only former Chelsea star who had noticed Salah’s talent and determination. Cesc Fabregas has also opened up on playing alongside him, even claiming his performances in Italy were the talk of the Stamford Bridge dressing room.
Speaking in January 2024, he said: “He’s a very special talent. I played with him at Chelsea for six months. He is a top guy as well and has a good mentality. I am happy for him as he is a very, very hard worker. He believed in his talent, went away and found his way.
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“Now he is showing everyone how good he is. Maybe it was lack of chances [at Chelsea]. You could see his trends. You could see he was quick. You could see that he was attacking the spaces.
“But then when he had one against ones, maybe he was not as strong as he is now. He was not so prolific in front of goal. Players need chances, they need someone to believe in you and he’s had that at Liverpool.
Fabregas added: “He had that at Fiorentina where he went on loan for six months to show how good he is. I remember a solo goal he did there as soon as he arrived. We were all in the dressing room ‘Oh my God did you see Mo’s goal? He never did that here!’ We were talking like this.”
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