Chelsea FC made right move selling Mohamed Salah

Chelsea FC finally made Mohamed Salah’s move to AS Roma permanent and despite his talent the London club did the right thing by selling him off

Chelsea FC announced today that Mohamed Salah is no longer a member of the Blue Loan Army (copyright pending) and is now an official member of AS Roma. The talented Egyptian winger had spent the 2015-16 season on loan with the Serie A club and was an instant success.

Salah was one of the standout players in Italy and was included in the 2015-16 Serie A Team of the Year alongside superstars Paul Pogba, Gianluigi Buffon, and Gonzalo Higuain. The winger posted some excellent numbers for his position with 15 goals and 6 assists in league play and was a big part of Roma’s second-place finish.

So if Mohamed Salah was good enough to make the team of the year in Serie A and be one of the league’s best players two years running (he spent half of the 2014-15 on loan at Fiorentina), why is he not in Chelsea FC’s long-term plans?

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The short and simple answer is that he was never really given the chance to impress at Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho limited his appearances when he signed in January 2013 and he was shipped off on loan after having made less than 15 appearances in the Premier League.

The more complex answer is why Salah was given such limited opportunities. The primary issue was the glut of players had at attacking midfield in 2013, including superstar Eden Hazard, Willian, Oscar, and Frank Lampard. 2014 would have been Salah’s chance to break in to the team but Mourinho did not seem to trust him enough and did not rotate the squad much, a common theme of Jose’s managerial career.

There is also the issue of what exactly Mohamed Salah is capable of on the pitch. He is one of the fastest players in world football and his blistering pace is often what sets him apart from and gives him so much space to operate. Other than his pace, Salah is lacking in technical ability and his finishing leaves much to be desired.

This is on display here in this highlight package of his Champions League matchup with Real Madrid. Salah was a threat all night but could not make the most of some gilt-edged chances against a suspect Madrid defense. The pace and desire is there but the clinical finishing is not.

Some may argue that this could change with time as the 24-year-old player continues to develop and improve with age but at this point, Mohamed Salah is a known commodity and will continue to be the player he already is.

Aside from the footballing aspect, Chelsea FC made the right decision to sell Mohamed Salah for the sake of his own career and for the sake of the club’s already gargantuan loan army. It is one thing to send off U23 or U21 players on loan for their own development and another to hoard players in their mid-20s and not allow them to grow and develop on their own.

Not every player Chelsea purchases will end up being a regular in the starting XI or even in the regular matchday squad, so when a player reaches a certain age he should be sold even if it is at a loss. The club owes as much to the players who deserve to find their own path in the footballing world.

Mohamed Salah could end up becoming a superstar player with AS Roma and light up Serie A for the next decade but it was the right move for both club and player to finally move on. As we’ve seen with Paul Pogba and perhaps Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea FC could always fork out a boatload of cash to bring Salah back if he does indeed become a superstar.

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