Chelsea have become increasingly used to the sight of
Mohamed Salah, in
Basel
blue and red, wheeling away in celebration after netting against the
west Londoners. The Egypt international has scored three times against
the Premier League giants since May of last year, but they will not have
to put up with this thorn in their side any longer.
As is want for a side of Chelsea's wealth and standing, they have moved swiftly to sign Salah,
gazumping Liverpool to his signature in a deal that could rise to £16 million.
From fearing the 21-year-old's pace and dynamism, now the Stamford
Bridge outfit can look to harness it in the race for the title.
The
Egyptian arrives at the club via Swiss Super League champions Basel,
where he has impressed more in European competition than domestically.
Last season, for example, he recorded more assists in 14 Europa League
outings than he did in 29 league matches, and there is a sense in some
quarters that he would have benefited from more time in Switzerland to
develop and taper some of unpredictable rawness.
Ironically, just as Salah impressed Chelsea by putting them to the
sword, it was a goalscoring display in an Egypt Under-23 friendly at the
Stadion Rankhof against Basel that convinced the side to sign him. He
was invited to train with the Swiss side and signed shortly afterwards.
It
would have been rather different had Zamalek SC president Mamdouh Abbas
recognised Salah's talent. The Egyptian giants, notorious for
preventing their players from moving to Europe, had been linked with the
devilishly quick winger but eventually decided against a deal.
In
a strange quirk of fate, Salah now has the opportunity to establish
himself on the grandest of stages in a way that former Egyptian
poster-boy Mido, once of Tottenham and Roma, could never quite do. The
30-year-old, who failed to live up to enormous promise, is now the coach
of Zamalek – and how he must crave a player of Salah's finesse and
trickery.
The immediate task facing Salah at Stamford Bridge will
be replacing Juan Mata – who is expected to join Manchester United
imminently. Previously those would have been rather large boots to fill,
but perhaps not any more. The Spaniard has been ousted from the first
team under Jose Mourinho, relegated to the bench, and has produced just a
miserable two assists in 11 Premier League appearances.
Salah
should not expect to immediately cement a place in the first team, but
there is a sense that he offers certain qualities that Mata, and
Chelsea, have lacked. He is quicker than any player the Blues boast in
their frontline and, as Petr Cech will attest, has a knack for preying
on the last man, darting in behind defences and finishing with aplomb.
The
former El Mokawloon winger, who won the Most Promising African Talent
of the Year award in 2012, may not be as established or influential as
Mata, but he brings a different, much-needed skillset to the club. The
bests squads are not comprised of simply the best players, but need to
offer variation and options – and in this respect Salah could even be
more valuable than the man he will replace.
He's a natural
wideman, unlike so many of Chelsea's attackers, capable of playing on
either flank, and his pace will terrorise tired defences on the
counterattack. That speed and directness makes him a perfect weapon off
the bench in a side that has occasionally required a spark of invention
and je ne sais quoi.
Mata's looming departure was
brought about by a lack of suitability to Mourinho's high-pressing style
of play, but Salah feels a much more natural fit to that defensive
tempo and application.
While Salah might have preferred the
freedom Brendan Rodgers' expressive style would have afforded him at
Anfield, he certainly won't be at odds with Chelsea's philosophy. Coming
up against more established sides in Europe, he has been asked by
manager Murat Yakin to track back, work hard and absorb pressure.
In
fact, only two outfield players (Shakhtar's Darijo Srna and Porto's
Fernando) have recovered possession more times in the Champions League
this season than Salah's 44. Meanwhile, no Chelsea attacker has recorded
more interceptions than Salah's six, while only Oscar (12) has more
tackles than the Egyptian (7) – Mata, as testament to his lack of
suitability, has zero.
Salah, then, is an entirely different type
of threat to what Chelsea currently have at their disposal, yet he also
a good fit for the style of play promoted and demanded by Mourinho. The
west Londoners may be losing a two-time Player of the Season, but in
Salah they have a explosive, frighteningly quick replacement who could
have a big role to play in the title race.
