What is Mohammed Salah doing at Chelsea?

The sale of Juan Mata to Manchester United was a bitter pill for most Chelsea fans to swallow. The agony of having one of their marquee players shift loyalty to a rival club, perhaps a step too many in the opposite direction taken by Mourinho. The rumour mills were churning out a host of super-talented players linked to Stamford Bridge, when suddenly out of ‘the blue’  news trickled in, Chelsea complete the signing of the much coveted young midfielder, Mohammed Salah from FC Basel.Once destined for Anfield, recent European success for the Blues coupled with possessing the credentials of one of the best coaches in the world, had perhaps tipped the scales in favour of the player moving to London. Whether he was brought in as a replacement to fill in the rather heavy boots of Juan Mata, is a question only the ‘The Special One’ can answer.

A quick, inventive attacking midfielder, Salah made the move to the Bridge having played against them twice for Basel in the group stages of this season’s Champions League, when he scored in both matches. He was also on target in the second leg of last season’s Europa League semi-final. The 21-year-old’s versatility ensures he is comfortable playing on either flanks or occupying a more central role behind a striker.  For the records, Salah is the first Egyptian to play for Chelsea.

His first words on his arrival at Chelsea FC " Going to Chelsea, a big team, is fantastic for anyone, not only me, and I hope I can play here always and have a good career." He started off brightly in a derby match against Newcastle United, amidst chants of ‘The Egyptian Messi’ ringing out from all corners of the Bridge. A brilliant debut, it must be said with the hopes of at least 40,000 supporters resting firmly on his shoulders. However, consistency is the real test of character, especially in the Premier League, and Salah has been able to produce only glimpses of the form that attracted his present employers to lure him away from the Swiss champions, FC Basel.

In the crucial game against Manchester City, Salah was introduced as a substitute to provide much needed creativity to the Chelsea midfield, but his performance against the Eastland’s outfit was more of an eyewash. The task was always going to be daunting. Filling in for the more experienced No 10 and proven Spanish international was not exactly going to be a piece of cake. But, with a bunch of fans heckling for results, putting in consistently good performances is the only recipe for success.

Mourinho, in a recent conference, was quoted as saying that he expects Salah to come good next season. A pretty realistic target one must comment. So now with most of the pressure of his shoulders, and midfielders like Oscar, Ramires, Schurrle and Matic expected to be selected ahead of him, the question arises:

What is Mohammed Salah then doing at Chelsea?

Preparing himself for next season doesn’t seem to be the script that most Chelsea fans would enjoy reading.