Chelsea FC Send Mohamed Salah On Loan To AS Roma
We finally have a resolution to the Mohamed Salah transfer saga. The Egyptian winger has finally been sent on loan to AS Roma for the 2015-16 season with the capital club given an option to buy after the season. Salah joined Chelsea FC in January 2014 in a permanent deal but he never made much of an impression at the club.
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He was relegated to mostly cameo appearances in his first half-season with the club and did even less in the start of the 2014-15 season. He featured in the League Cup for Chelsea and made several substitute appearances but he never made the leap to starter or even a regular rotational player.
In the second half of the season Salah was sent to Fiorentina and set Serie A and the Europa League alight with a string of excellent performances. He torched Juventus in Turin and made Tottenham Hotspur look silly as they could not deal with his pace and direct style of play. He scored nine goals in 26 appearances for the Viola and was one of their best players. It seemed a foregone conclusion that he would return to Fiorentina for the 2015-16 season but Salah had his eye on a more prestigious club.
For whatever reason he was not seen as an option for Chelsea as they searched for a right winger to compliment Eden Hazard and he is instead on his way back to Italy to play for Roma. Inter Milan and Juventus were also reportedly interested in the winger but he has found his home with the Giallorossi.
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Chelsea FC released a statement regarding the move and said, “Chelsea Football Club has agreed terms with AS Roma for the season-long loan of Mohamed Salah. The winger will spend the 2015-16 campaign on loan at the Stadio Olimpico and the agreement includes an option to purchase at any point during the season.”
The reported loan fee from Roma is believed to be €5m and the additional purchase price would be €15m, making that of course a total of €20m that Roma will be paying for Salah’s services. Considering Chelsea FC paid £11m just over a year ago then making a £3m profit is not bad business for the club. Still, this moves has a lingering question of “what if?” surrounding it.
Salah never truly endeared himself to the Chelsea faithful because he was never really given a chance to do so. Players like Andre Schurrle scored important goals before being sold off but Salah only scored twice in 19 appearances and neither goal was of any significance. His pace and directness tantalized fans with visions of him terrorizing opposing fullbacks or blowing past defenders to break a high press but none of that materialized.
He did so with Fiorentina and may yet do that with Roma but he could not manage that in his limited opportunities with Chelsea. There are many factors for a player not meshing well with a club and things did not work out with Salah and Chelsea. Still, once a Blue always a Blue as they say and we wish the Egyptian Messi the best of luck in his Italian adventure.
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