"I felt I need to change mentally and physically"- Liverpool star Mohamed Salah opens up on his tough spell at Chelsea
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has revealed that his difficult spell with Chelsea has been a major reason behind the success he is currently enjoying at Anfield. The Egyptian gave an insight into the reasons behind his struggles at Stamford Bridge and how he decided to tackle them to become a better player.
Salah joined Chelsea from FC Basel in January 2014 for £11 million. He struggled to break into their starting line-up during his first six months. He was starved of playing time under then Blues manager Jose Mourinho, making just eight appearances across competitions.
He joined Fiorentina on a six-month loan deal in February 2015, and was subsequently loaned out to AS Roma the next season, whom he joined permanently the following year. He resurrected his career in Rome before joining Liverpool in 2017, where he has evolved into one of the best players in the world.
Salah told Rio Ferdinand in an interview with BT Sport ahead of the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid on Saturday, May 28, in Paris:
"I think in that time I came from Basel, like play one and a half years there. And I remember one and a half years there. And I remember one and a half years before I was in Egypt. So it's a big challenge in my career."
He continued:
"I felt somehow I didn't have my chance in that time, but still also like, it's a time for me to make a huge difference in my career. I felt I need to change mentally and physically in that time, so I changed eveything."
Salah has scored 156 goals in 253 appearances for Liverpool across competitions. He is the Reds' top goalscorer this season with 31 goals in 50 appearances.
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Chelsea have continued to sell promising players like Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah has evolved into arguably one of the best forwards of his generation during his time with Liverpool, winning the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup.
Chelsea's decision to sell Salah, in hindsight, can be termed a huge mistake, considering the success he has had with their domestic rivals. The Blues have, however, continued to make similar mistakes recently.
They sold promising young striker Tammy Abraham to AS Roma last summer for £34 million, bringing Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for £97.5 million.
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Abraham has scored 27 goals in 53 appearances for Jose Mourinho's side and won the UEFA Europa Conference League this season. Lukaku, meanwhile, has endured a dismal campaign, scoring just 15 goals in 44 appearances across competitions.
The Premier League giants also sold promising youth academy products Fikayo Tomori to AC Milan and Marc Guehi to Crystal Palace last summer. Tomori played a key role in Milan's Serie A triumph this season. Meanwhile, Guehi is considered one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League, thanks to his performances for the Eagles.