"The club pays their taxes. Players basically get their money net." That single line from a Turkish agent, quoted in The Telegraph's deep dive into Süper Lig finances, explains more about Mohamed Salah's move to Trabzonspor than any romantic talk about football adventures.
Salah's reported £14.5 million net per season at Trabzonspor translates to the equivalent of over £500,000 per week on a UK gross salary basis. Saudi Arabia came calling after Liverpool confirmed his departure. He chose Turkey anyway. That's not a fluke — it's a trend.
How Turkish clubs actually pay for this
The four biggest clubs in Turkey — Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, and Trabzonspor — collectively carry debts exceeding €1 billion. On paper, that sounds like a financial house of cards. In practice, they've built cash flow structures that keep the salaries moving.
Galatasaray sold land worth over £400 million, offloaded their stadium naming rights (Ali Sami Yen is now Rams Park), and had Victor Osimhen — the €75 million striker once linked to Chelsea — score the winning goal against Liverpool last season. Fenerbahçe spotted and sold Arda Güler to Real Madrid for €28 million and Ferdi Kadıoğlu to Brighton for €30 million. Trabzonspor's Salah deal is being structured around sponsorships with Turkish Airlines and electric vehicle brand Togg — and within days of Salah signing, Turkish Airlines announced new direct flights between Cairo and Trabzon. The club also banked €26 million from selling Christ Inao Oulai to Fiorentina to help fund the move.
It's creative financing. Whether it's sustainable long-term is a different question entirely.
Turkey vs Saudi Arabia: the net salary arms race
The Süper Lig's net salary structure puts it in direct competition with the Saudi Pro League — and right now, Turkey has the momentum. Saudi football is pulling back from its peak spending era. Cristiano Ronaldo signed a new deal at Al Nassr, but players like Riyad Mahrez, Georginio Wijnaldum, Marcelo Brozovic, Franck Kessié, and Jhon Durán have all departed. Bruno Fernandes turned down the Middle East a year ago and stayed at United. Kevin De Bruyne went to Napoli. Salah went to Trabzon. The pattern is shifting.
Turkey's current roster of big names makes the point clearly:
- Mohamed Salah — Trabzonspor
- Mason Greenwood and Nathan Aké — Fenerbahçe
- Leandro Trossard — Beşiktaş, just months after winning the Premier League with Arsenal
That's not a retirement home. That's a league genuinely competing for players in their prime or near-prime years.
Still, The Telegraph didn't ignore the caveats. Wilfried Zaha arrived at Galatasaray in 2023 on a free, spent last season on loan at Lyon, and then Charlotte FC in MLS. Ederson reportedly wants out of Fenerbahçe after just one season — his move came under Mourinho, who was sacked early in the campaign. Turkey can attract players. Keeping them happy is the harder part. Historically, there were also documented cases of wages being delayed or withheld when players fell out of favour — though a rule now allows players to claim their registration and leave if unpaid for three consecutive months.
The days of Turkey being a last stop — Robin van Persie winding down at Fenerbahçe, Darius Vassell landing at Ankaragücü in 2009 — are not entirely gone. But they're no longer the defining image either. When agents now sit down and map out a player's options, the Süper Lig is on the board as a genuine destination. Salah's arrival, and the thousands of fans who met him at the airport in Istanbul, just made that argument louder.
