Trabzonspor, the Black Sea club that sits in one of Turkey's most atmospheric football cities, has turned to German coach Thomas Reis to steady a rocky start to the season — and the chance to work with Mohamed Salah was clearly central to his decision.
The 52-year-old signed a two-year contract after leaving Bulgarian champions Ludogorets, who admitted they were caught off guard by the approach. Trabzonspor will pay 900,000 euros (about $1.06 million) in compensation, with Reis earning a guaranteed 1 million euros for 2026-27 and 1.2 million euros the following season. He replaces Fatih Tekke, who resigned in early September after two straight defeats and a Europa League elimination.
Reis inherits a squad built around a genuine global headliner. Salah, the Egyptian winger who spent nine glittering years at Liverpool — most of them under Jurgen Klopp — joined this season as the club's marquee signing and has already scored four goals in five league games. "Working with a player of his caliber is perhaps one of the best things that can happen to a coach," Reis said, promising to give Salah "freedom in attack." The squad also features Fabinho and goalkeeper Andre Onana, both familiar names from Europe's top leagues.
The new coach is not a stranger to Turkish football. Two seasons ago he took an unfancied Samsunspor to a third-place finish in the Süper Lig, behind only Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. "I know this place and I know how intense the games are here," he noted — useful pedigree given the pressure waiting at his new club, seven-time Turkish champions who currently sit ninth after five rounds and lost 1-0 to Konyaspor last weekend. A home fixture against Galatasaray is next, followed by a Conference League campaign opening away at KuPS Kuopio in Finland on October 15.
Why should a traveller care? Because Trabzon is quietly one of Turkey's most rewarding football cities. Matchday at the Papara Park stadium on the Black Sea coast — Salah's new home ground — is a loud, smoke-filled local experience that pairs naturally with the city's other drawcards: the clifftop Hagia Sophia mosque overlooking the sea, the buzzing Beşirli fish restaurants, and easy onward trips to the emerald highlands of Uzungöl and the Sumela Monastery. A season in which one of the world's most famous footballers plays every week makes autumn an unusually good time to be in town. Tickets for Süper Lig games are affordable by European standards, and the Saturday-evening kickoffs leave a full weekend for exploring the coast.