Mohamed Salah: John Obi Mikel attributes the Liverpool player’s mindset as the reason for his lack of success at Chelsea.

Why didn’t it work out for Salah at Chelsea?

John Obi Mikel has weighed in on the topic, suggesting that Mohamed Salah’s “mentality” was the key factor behind his struggles at Chelsea.

Since making the switch to Liverpool in the summer of 2017, Salah has firmly established himself as one of the Premier League’s elite. The Egyptian forward has netted an impressive 245 goals and provided 113 assists in 401 appearances for the Merseysiders. During his time at Anfield, he has also clinched two Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League trophy, an FA Cup, and two League Cups.

Salah’s remarkable achievements at Liverpool must be particularly frustrating for the Chelsea hierarchy, who initially signed the talented attacker in 2014 when he was just 21 years old. However, he found it difficult to secure a regular spot in the team under manager Jose Mourinho, making only 13 appearances in the Premier League before being loaned out to Fiorentina, which eventually led to a permanent move to Roma.

When reflecting on why Salah failed to thrive at Chelsea, former Blues midfielder Mikel shared his thoughts on TNT Sports’ What I Wore: “It’s the story that could have been.

“I think it was mentality – I’d put it down to that. At the football club back then, the dressing room was tough. Players with so much ego. Big managers with so much ego.

“And if you couldn’t take the hit, you had to go. I think that’s what happened to Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku.

“I know now they’ve matured, they’re much stronger, but I think back then their mentality was a bit weak.

“And for me, the mentality then was very strong. With what I went through, with the whole transfer saga and everything, it built my mentality – I was already mentally strong coming into the club and that really helped me.

“But for these guys, the reason it didn’t work out well at the club was just mentality.

“They’re very talented players and they’ve gone on to show that. Now we can see all that. They’re players who’ve gone and achieved so much and become the best players in the world.”

Leave a Reply