TRABZON, Turkey (AP) — Mohamed Salah has a new coach at Trabzonspor after the Turkish club on Thursday hired Thomas Reis, who cited the lure of working with the former Liverpool star.

Trabzonspor said the German coach signed a two-year contract to leave Bulgarian club Ludogorets. He replaces Fatih Tekke, who resigned when the team was eliminated from the Europa League last month.

Salah is the marquee signing at Trabzonspor this season following a stellar nine-year spell at Liverpool working mostly with German coach Jürgen Klopp. The Egypt star has scored four goals in five league games so far.

“Working with a player of his caliber is perhaps one of the best things that can happen to a coach,” Reis said in a club statement, adding he would give Salah “freedom in attack.”

Reis previously coached in the Turkish league taking unheralded Samsunspor to a third-place finish two seasons ago behind Istanbul powers Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.

“I know this place and I know how intense the games are here,” the coach said.

Ludogorets said in a statement it was surprised at the offer to take Reis, who expressed a wish to work at Trabzonspor with talents like Salah, Fabinho and goalkeeper André Onana.

Trabzonspor, which won the last of its seven Turkish league titles in 2022, is ninth in the standings after five rounds.

The team starts a six-game program in the Conference League in Finland at KuPS Kuopio on Oct. 15.

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