Samuel Inkoom reveals how he helped Liverpool star Mohammed Salah to move to FC Basel from Egypt

Samuel Inkoom, a former defender of the Black Stars, has revealed that he played a significant role in helping Mohamed Salah secure his first professional opportunity in Europe with Swiss club FC Basel.

During his time at FC Basel from 2012 to 2014, Salah, who currently plays for Liverpool in the Premier League, made a total of 47 appearances and scored 9 goals before moving on to Chelsea.

Inkoom explained that he had the chance to observe Salah’s performance during training sessions against the Black Stars while on a trip to Egypt for a game. As Inkoom and Salah trained together alongside former Ghanaian striker Eric Bekoe, Inkoom’s club FC Basel had a crucial Champions League match against Bayern Munich. Impressed by Salah’s exceptional speed, FC Basel’s Sporting Director approached Inkoom and requested him to speak to Salah on the club’s behalf. Inkoom gladly accepted the task, thus becoming instrumental in Salah’s desire to play in Europe.

“I recommended Mo Salah to FC Basel,” Inkoom, who currently plays for Hearts of Oak, shared during an interview with Accra-based Peace FM.

He further elaborated, “During a game when the Black Stars traveled to Egypt, I wore the number 22 jersey and trained with the team that included Mo Salah and former Ghanaian striker Eric Bekoe. After that, my club FC Basel had a Champions League match against Bayern Munich. So, I came with my Sporting Director who noticed Mo Salah’s impressive speed during our training sessions against them. He asked me to speak to Salah on his behalf, and I did. That was it! Salah expressed his desire to play in Europe.”

When asked if he remains in contact with Salah, Inkoom mentioned that they haven’t been in touch. However, he revealed that he maintains communication with Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri, who was part of the Under-17 team during Inkoom’s time at FC Basel. Shaqiri, who also played alongside Salah at Liverpool from 2018 to 2021, occasionally serves as a reminder to Salah of the role Inkoom played in helping him secure the opportunity to play in Europe.

“I used to speak to Shaqiri when he was with Liverpool and occasionally asked him to remind Mohammed of how he got the chance to play in Europe,” Inkoom added.

With 44 caps for the Black Stars and 1 goal to his name, Inkoom played a significant role in Salah’s early journey in European football.