12 months and very little impact, Mohamed Salahâs January exit was an all too predictable one at Chelsea. The Egypt international arrived with great promise, but, ultimately, he became another victim of competition at Stamford Bridge, slipping out of the exit door as a makeweight in the Juan Cuadrado deal.The Colombianâs arrival was lauded as a potential title-clincher for the Premier League leading Blues, but with just over a month having passed, only one of the two players involved in the transaction is earning praise⦠and he isnât located in London! Salah has been great for Fiorentina so far, which has got us thinking â should Chelsea give him another chance? Maybe, and here are FIVE reasons whyâ¦
Heâs doing more than Cuadrado
Considering that Juan Cuadrado cost £23m-ish and Mohamed Salah was a part of that very same deal, the stats are staggering. Not taking into account the Egyptianâs cup exploits, the former Basel man has outshone his Colombian counterpart in league and European action, notching four goals and an assist while creating more chances and taking more shots. Okay, heâs had more minutes on the pitch, but that in itself is testament to his adaptation to life with Fiorentina, who are not short of talented, attack-minded midfielders.
He can score goals like thisâ¦
Take a bow, Mo. Salah last night made Chelsea look a little daft as he scored a complete worldie against Juventus in the Coppa Italia, running from inside his own half, beating numerous defenders â who play for the Serie A champions! â before unleashing a lovely left-footed effort. Juve were not at full strength, but that should take nothing away from Salah, who displayed all the reasons Chelsea beat Liverpool to his signature just over 12 months ago in the space of about 15 seconds.
Not given a fair crack at Chelsea
608 minutes in just over a year at Stamford Bridge is, well⦠not enough. Salah was the subject of a late transfer scramble in January 2014 as the Blues beat Liverpool to him, but despite their efforts, he was never really given the time on the pitch by Jose Mourinho. He did, however, notch two goals in his 13 league outings, which is no mean feat considering over half came from the bench.Â
The Kevin De Bruyne lesson
Around the time Salah was signed, Kevin De Bruyne was ushered out of the door at Chelsea. The Belgian has only truly had six months to justify his spot in the Bluesâ team, and was forced to do so through limited appearances. Unsurprisingly, he was deemed surplus to requirements and shipped off to Wolfsburg, where itâs been a very different story.
De Bruyne is now being linked with a staggering return to Stamford Bridge, with his numbers this season â 18 assists and 11 goals â having left the Londoners rather red faced. With Salah also performing well, Chelsea have the fall-back of his exit being a loan one, so maybe they can avoid another mishap.
Egyptian Messi
Okay, the moniker of ânew Lionel Messiâ is one banded around fairly often in football as the sought-after narrative angle comes into play, but Salahâs likeness to the Argentine was acceptable, to an extent. During his time with Basel, the 22-year-old was lauded for his quick feet, intelligent movement and desire to get into the box, making him very much a Messi-esque player.