Egyptians are finally seeing their young players take over some European pitches. The cancelled season of last year and the unstable conditions that this season is being played in have resulted in the migration of a few Egyptian players to European clubs. The players who left have quickly become regulars for their teams in an exceptionally short period, something we have not seen in quite some time. Al-Ahram Weekly previously highlighted the journey of three Egyptians in England; in this feature it moves south to see how Mohamed Salah and Mohamed Al-Nenni are doing in Switzerland. On 10 April 2012 Salah signed for Basel coming from the Arab Contractors to become the first Egyptian to play in Switzerland since goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadari left Sion FC in 2009. Salah left Egypt just a few months after the Port Said massacre in which 74 fans were killed in February 2012 in a league match between Al-Masri and Ahli in Port Said. Following that incident, the football season was cancelled and thus it was perfect timing for Salah to leave to Europe. It didn't take him long. Salah proved his quality, filling in for the team's star Xherdan Shaqiri who left the club for German giants Bayern Munich. Salah impressed everyone with his technique and ball control skills and above all his speed, since he arrived in his new club. Basel coach Murat Yakin described Salah's speed on the ball as “unbelievable”. Salah made his league debut against FC Thun which witnessed three assists from the Egyptian youngster. It was only six days later when Salah scored his first goal and his team's second in the 2-0 home win against Lausanne-Sport on 25 August last year. Unlucky Salah, he picked up a thigh injury afterwards and was sidelined for three weeks. His comeback though was impressive as he scored his second goal for the red and blue against Lausanne-Sport again, on 29 September. By the midpoint of the season Salah had played 23 matches scoring five goals with 13 assists. In his last European match in the Europa League against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, Salah took part in the two goals that his team scored in their 2-1 victory over the Russians. The UEFA official website described Salah's performance in that last match as “impressive”. The Egyptian winger who wears the No 22 shirt, captured the fans' attention as well with his amazing performances. Twitter fan Nazareth da Gama commented on Salah's performance in the Zenit match: “Happy to see 20-year-old Mohamed Salah (FC Basel) run Zenit's defence ragged. Great talent!” Da Gama was not the only one to praise Salah after the Zenit game. A fan who calls himself “Soner” on Twitter also tweeted about Salah. “Although he didn't score, no one can replace Salah at Basel,” Soner said. Salah's performances at the club were also described by Basel's fan Borji Ruiz as “great”. The young Egyptian star recently won the CAF African Most Promising Talent Award after his impressive first half of the season and is said to be watched by several big European teams. A nine-month lonely stay in Switzerland would finally come to an end after Salah was joined by his compatriot, former teammate, and friend, Mohamed Al-Nenni. The young defensive midfielder joined Basel on a trial being invited to their training camp in Estepona, Spain, from 14 to 24 January. Al-Nenni debuted against Romanian side Steaua Bucureşti though it was an unofficial start. Having impressed his coach during the training camp, Yakin made sure he got Al-Nenni's signature on a short loan contract until the end of June 2013. The Swiss coach of Turkish origin secured a place in the team for another young Egyptian talent. “He is just the kind of midfielder we need,” Yakin told Basel's official website after Al-Nenni's second appearance with the red and blue. That match was a friendly against Ferencváros in which Al-Nenni scored his first goal for the club. He officially debuted against Sion FC in a league match and was substituted at half time. His highlight in the match was a strong challenge with Italian veteran Gennaro Gatusso who is known for his close to violent playing style. Al-Nenni succeeded in beating Gatusso in the body challenge and the Italian had no choice but to tackle Al-Nenni for a foul. Al-Nenni officially played three matches since he joined Basel. His latest was against Zenit when he came in as a substitute in the 69th minute. He had a fine match but was not highly praised or criticised by the fans or the media. It looks like it will take the Egyptian, who is rarely mentioned on Twitter by non-Egyptian fans, some time to show off his talent the same way Salah did. Despite so, his coach has expressed faith in Al-Nenni's skills, describing him as being a “great tactical player”.
