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Egypt's Salah admits to difficult competition at Chelsea Chelsea's newly-signed winger determined to ‘work hard' to force his way into the team's starting XI
Mohamed Salah admitted on Friday that he would face a tough competition at Chelsea to force his way into the team's starting line-up. The Egyptian winger joined Chelsea from Swiss side Basel earlier this week on a five-and-a-half year deal for a reported fee of €13 million after the Blues beat off competition from English Premier League rivals Liverpool. Salah was Basel's undisputed number one during an 18-month stint, putting in a series of impressive displays to help his side win a fourth consecutive Swiss league title last season. He also scored in home and away games against Chelsea in the Champions League group-stage this term but is still likely to find it difficult to play on a regular basis with Jose Mourinho's side, given the array of attacking talents at their disposal. “It was a good time that I could score a goal, after 87 minutes in Basel. But now I hope I can start to score for Chelsea, not against Chelsea,” Salah said in an interview with Chelsea's official website, referring to his most recent strike against the 2012 European Champions League winners. “You know it is very difficult for any player playing in Europe but now in this second year I am playing in Chelsea, and for me it is fantastic. “It is not easy playing for Chelsea and also we have very good players playing in my position, but I will do my work hard and we will see.” Chelsea signed Salah to provide cover for Spanish playmaker Juan Mata, who moved to Manchester United after falling down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, with Mourinho preferring to rely on the likes of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian. High-profile transfer Salah's move to Chelsea is one of the most high-profile transfers for Arab footballers and the 21-year-old is relishing the challenge of living up to expectations. “This is different because from Arab people, not many have played in Europe for the big teams and maybe many people there will now follow me for Chelsea,” he said. “From Egypt, maybe nobody went to a high step yet, so this is different. 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.” Mourinho said Salah's fitness would be assessed before Chelsea take on Manchester City in a mouthwatering Premier League clash on Monday. He is expected to make his debut when Chelsea host Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on 8 February. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at@AO_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/93131.aspx
