Mohamed Salah has scored over 160 Premier League goals for Liverpool F.C.. Imagine if those goals had been for Chelsea F.C..
Salah was originally signed by Chelsea from FC Basel on 26 January 2014 for a reported £11 million. Softfootball gathered, the move came after he impressed José Mourinho by scoring against Chelsea in both the Europa League in 2013 and the Champions League during the 2013/14 season.
At Basel, Salah had already shown his fearlessness. He famously dribbled past Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanović when Basel faced Chelsea home and away in Europe. That pace and directness convinced Chelsea to act quickly.
But once he arrived at Stamford Bridge, he was never fully trusted or properly used. Opportunities were limited, and confidence faded.
He was sent on loan to ACF Fiorentina, where he scored six goals in half a season. Then came another loan move to AS Roma, where he scored 14 league goals in the 2015/16 campaign. Roma made the deal permanent on 3 August 2016 for around €15 million after his impressive performances.
Ironically, during that period, Chelsea had attacking players who were not prolific scorers in the league. Willian never reached 10 Premier League goals in a single season for Chelsea. Eden Hazard was more of a creator than a consistent high-volume scorer. With creative players like Cesc Fàbregas and attackers like Diego Costa around, Salah could have added direct goalscoring output. But Chelsea chose not to bring him back.
Instead, in June 2017, Liverpool moved decisively. They signed Salah from Roma for an initial €42 million, potentially rising to €50 million with bonuses. It was a club-record signing at the time.
That same season, Salah exploded. He scored over 30 goals in all competitions, delivering numbers that no Chelsea player managed during his brief time at the club.
What Chelsea saw as a squad option, Liverpool turned into a global superstar. And every time Salah scores in the Premier League, some Chelsea fans can only imagine what could have been.
