Salah Chooses Trabzonspor, Mourinho Rewrites History, and Scottish Football Delivers

The biggest story of the day had nothing to do with a match. Mohamed Salah's decision to join Trabzonspor — rejecting the gravitational pull of Istanbul's Big Three — landed as one of the most surprising transfer conclusions in recent memory. That it began with a text from club president Ertugrul Dogan to manager Fatih Tekke during the World Cup, and ended with Trabzonspor beating Beşiktaş to the signing, made it all the more remarkable. It is a move that genuinely reshapes the landscape of Turkish football's marquee transfer market.

Almost as startling was José Mourinho's revelation, confirmed by Sir Alex Ferguson in a new Netflix documentary, that he had actually signed a contract to take the Manchester United job in 2013 before tearfully withdrawing and returning to Chelsea. It reframes one of the most consequential moments in United's modern history, and raises questions that will keep football historians busy for some time.

On the pitch, Scottish football provided the day's sharpest drama. Hibernian snatched a 2-1 winner deep in injury time at Ibrox, extending Derek McInnes's winless start as Rangers manager, while Celtic had swept Kilmarnock aside the day prior, with new signing Kasper Hogh marking his arrival with a hat-trick in a 5-1 rout. In pre-season, Monaco completed a 3-2 comeback at Anfield after Liverpool had led 2-0 — the second time this summer Andoni Iraola's side have surrendered such a lead.