Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah recently revealed that he snubbed Liverpool to join Chelsea because of a phone conversation with former Blues’ boss Jose Mourinho.
Salah has been a key member of the Roma side this season, helping the team from the Italian capital to challenge for the final Champions League spot on the Serie A table. The 23-year-old-winger is currently on a season long loan at Roma from Premier League club Chelsea, with the Romans having the option to buy him on a permanent deal in the summer.
The Egyptian recently revealed that Liverpool were very interested in signing him until a conversation with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho ‘changed everything’.
“Liverpool had wanted me for a number of months. They had opened talks in October 2013,” Salah told Egyptian channel MBC Masr, according to FourFourTwo.
“Negotiations took a long time, because Basel rejected more than one offer. They felt the transfer fee was not that high. I was waiting for Liverpool [to agree terms with Basel] because I really like Liverpool. I was eager to join them.
“But then I received a phone call from Mourinho and that changed everything. He explained the situation to me and told me that he needed me at Chelsea. That was one of the main reasons why I joined Chelsea.
“Mourinho told me that he thought I was a good player and that he wanted me to pick Chelsea.”
The Egyptian Messi another missed chance for Chelsea
Mohamed Salah is often referred to as the ‘Egyptian Messi’ because of his pace, trickery and skill on the ball. The winger struggled to make an impact at Stamford Bridge, but displayed great potential in his first loan spell at Fiorentina last season. He has scored 11 league goals for AS Roma this season and is an important first team player at the club.
At just 23 years old, Salah also has the potential to develop into a star player for his club. Chelsea have let the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku slip through their grasp and Salah could make the Blues regret their decision to let go of him if he lives up to the potential he has shown in Rome.
