‘I Played With Salah at Chelsea – Here’s What the Dressing Room Said After he Left’

Cesc Fabregas shared a dressing room with Mo Salah during his brief Chelsea spell and has subsequently revealed what his teammates said about the Egyptian after he left.
Salah’s success after departing demonstrates Chelsea’s folly, since he established himself on loan at Fiorentina.
The Egyptian king is tearing the Premier League record books apart with his blistering start to the 2024/25 season.
Chelsea has long tried to strike a balance between spending money and trusting the quality they already have. If it wasn’t devastating enough to let Kevin De Bruyne slip past their fingers, Mohamed Salah’s exit in 2014 serves as another stark reminder. It’s as if they’ve been casting a fishing line into a sea of possibilities, only to reel in empty hooks.

For unknown reasons, the Egyptian international struggled to adjust to life in West London. Under Jose Mourinho’s direction, the quick-footed winger made only 19 appearances for the club, scoring two goals and assisting three times. This laborious recovery failed to persuade the club’s decision-makers to give him additional playing time, especially in a group that is already competing for trophy on numerous fronts.

Interestingly, Salah wasted no time establishing he was one of the greatest in the industry after leaving Stamford Bridge. A temporary loan at Fiorentina rapidly led into a permanent move to Roma, and by 2025, the prolific winger is vying for the Ballon d’Or following an eighth consecutive season of 10+ goals and 10+ assists across all competitions, demonstrating how far he has come. However, the question has always remained: what did his Chelsea teammates think at the time? Thanks to Cesc Fabregas, the riddle has now been solved.

Fabregas Details Dressing Room Atmosphere Around Salah’s Departure

His comrades could tell that the Blues administration had made an error.

Salah’s loan stay with Fiorentina was essential in his development, as he gained regular first-team opportunities and scored nine goals. His former teammates at Stamford Bridge were particularly impressed by one of his strikes. Fabregas was one of the players in the Blues’ locker room at the moment, having watched the Egyptian fail to make the cut. But after scoring a wondergoal for La Viola, Salah was the talk of the town back at his parent club. “He is a very special talent. I played with him at Chelsea for six months. He is also a top performer with a positive attitude. I am thrilled for him because he is a really hard worker. He believed in his skill, went away, and found his way,” he said on the Planet Premier League podcast in January 2024, according to the Mirror.

“Now he’s showing everyone how good he is.” Perhaps it was a lack of opportunities [at Chelsea]. You could see his trends. You could see he was swift. You could tell he was attacking the spaces. But when it came to one-on-one combat, he may not have been as strong as he is now. He was not particularly prolific in front of goal. Players require opportunities, as well as someone who believes in them, and he has found both at Liverpool.

“He had that at Fiorentina, where he went on loan for six months to demonstrate his abilities. I recall him scoring a solo goal there as soon as he came. We were all in the dressing room saying, ‘Oh my God, did you watch Mo’s goal? He’s never done that here! “We were talking like this.”

📆 #OnThisDay in 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣5️⃣

Mohamed Salah joined Fiorentina on loan from Chelsea 🇮🇹

This strike against Juventus might just be one of Salah’s best ever goals 🤯pic.twitter.com/qan1XHuYU2

— GOAL (@goal) February 2, 2020

Salah Is Now One Of The All-Time Premier League Greats

His start to life under Arne Slot is Ballon d’Or-winning form

When his Chelsea teammates were screaming about his amazing solo goal, there was naturally some scepticism about the possibility that it was a one-off. However, the 32-year-old is now delivering cinematic genius on a weekly basis.

Salah eventually left La Viola for Roma on a permanent basis in 2016, before joining Liverpool a year later. Now, he is the heart and soul of everything great about the Reds as they strive for another championship, this time under new manager Arne Slot. After winning everything possible during his eight years at Anfield, including the Champions League and Premier League titles, the winger has taken his game to new heights this season.

Salah has 30 goals and 21 assists in 37 appearances in the 2024/25 season, making him the first player in Premier League history to reach double figures in goals and assists before Christmas. He now leads both the Premier League and the Champions League charts, as well as the Ballon d’Or 2025 rankings.

Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool career

Competitions

The Premier League

UEFA Champions League

FA Cup

League Cup

FIFA Club World Cup

Appearances

277

71

12

10

2

Goals

180

44

6

4

0

Assists

84

17

1

1

1

Yellow cards.

9

1

0

0

1

Red cards.

0

0

0

0

0

Trophies Won

1

1

1

2

1

In 23 outings against his previous club, Chelsea, the Egyptian, who is now in his final year of contract, has scored eight goals and assisted four others. He continues to remind his former employers of the opportunity they missed by failing to realise his full potential while he was in the city. While some clubs may be happy to lose certain players, the Blues will always regret their choice to part ways with Salah, who is unquestionably one of the best Premier League wingers of all time.