Right, let’s talk about unexpected twists in the transfer market, because football has a funny way of throwing up storylines you simply couldn’t script.
When Mohamed Salah departed Merseyside over the summer, the assumption was that the Egyptian icon would be gracing one of Europe’s traditional heavyweights or collecting a final astronomical payday in the Saudi Pro League. Instead, the King of the Kop opted for a genuinely stunning switch to Turkish Super Lig outfit Trabzonspor.
It is fair to say life on the Black Sea coast hasn’t exactly gone according to script right out of the gate. Trabzonspor find themselves wading through a bit of early-season turmoil, and the contrast between Salah’s individual brilliance and the club’s collective struggles is stark.
From a purely personal standpoint, Salah has hit the ground running in typical ruthless fashion. He has started two league matches for his new club, bagging a brace in one and netting another in the most recent outing. In fact, literally all of Trabzonspor’s league goals so far have come from the Egyptian maestro.
Unfortunately, individual brilliance isn’t always enough to mask deeper systemic flaws. That latest goal came in a bitterly disappointing 2-1 defeat, which arrived hot on the heels of a truly humiliating 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Hungarian side Ferencvaros. That heavy European reverse knocked Trabzonspor out of the UEFA Europa League before the proper league phase even began, parachuting them down into the UEFA Conference League instead. Suffice to say, that was not the plan down in Trebizond.
The immediate fallout was swift and severe. Coach Fatih Tekke resigned in the wake of the European embarrassment, leaving the Turkish club scrambling to steady the ship and rebuild on the fly.
Yet, amidst the chaos, the hierarchy have thrown down a massive marker of intent. They haven’t just dipped their toes into the market; they have made a statement signing that could completely transform their attack.
Trabzonspor have pulled off a major coup by securing the services of Franculino Dju from FC Midtjylland. The highly-rated striker has been heavily scouted across Europe over the last couple of years, though a troublesome injury last season temporarily derailed the relentless hype train and made some potential suitors slightly hesitant to take a punt.
Transfer insider Sacha Tavolieri was among the first to break the details of the agreement, reporting that the deal is worth a cool €25 million up front, with an extra €5 million in potential add-ons. For a club like Trabzonspor, this is a monster investment—and it lands them a player who was very firmly on the radar at Anfield not too long ago.
??? Franculino to Trabzonspor is a done deal!
? €25M upfront, €5M in bonuses and a 15% sell-on clause. €30M global package.
?? FC Midtjylland did a great sale just one day after selling Darío Osorio to Crystal Palace for a recording breaking fee. pic.twitter.com/iVVpDWDcqE
— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri) September 2, 2026
Liverpool were quite extensively linked with Franculino at various points, with the Anfield recruitment team sending scouts to watch him numerous times in Denmark. And frankly, it is not hard to see why the Reds were tracking him.
The youngster has been the standout player in the Danish Superliga for a few seasons now, and arguably one of the most productive talents operating outside Europe’s elite top-eight leagues. If you look under the hood at advanced analytics, the numbers are staggering. Specialized data models—including value-adder metrics assessing per-90 attacking output—rank him right at the very top of players across Europe’s winter leagues. In fact, his underlying attacking metrics placed him joint-highest with none other than Harry Kane.
That is the absolute elite tier of production, and that is precisely the calibre of player Trabzonspor are hoping to pair alongside Mohamed Salah.
If Franculino can recapture that blistering form in Turkey and put his injury woes firmly in the rear-view mirror, he has all the raw ingredients to become a genuine superstar in the Super Lig. You can guarantee that recruitment analysts back on Merseyside will be keeping a very close eye on how this intriguing partnership develops. Because if the young forward starts firing on all cylinders alongside Salah, those old links to Anfield might just start popping up in the transfer gossip columns all over again.