Thomas Reis has returned to Turkey surprisingly quickly and is taking on the ambitious challenge at Trabzonspor. This means that Mohamed Salah will also be among his players in future.
There had been hints of this at the start of the week, then everything happened very quickly. Thomas Reis is returning to Turkey with immediate effect to take charge of Trabzonspor. As early as Tuesday evening, the German head coach was given a frenetic welcome by fans at Trabzon airport. This could well be repeated on Thursday, as the club is holding a contract-signing ceremony in his honour at Papara Park at 3.45 pm. Afterwards, he is expected to celebrate success as soon as possible.
The appointment comes as a surprise, particularly as Reis had only taken up his post in Bulgaria around two months ago. Ludogorez Razgrad, who had finished as runners-up for the first time after 14 consecutive domestic league titles, were hoping the 52-year-old would restore them to their former dominance. The start of the season – during which Ludogorez missed out on European competition – went without a league defeat and, with the team just two points behind the equally unbeaten champions Levski Sofia, looked promising, at least domestically.
Now, however, Reis is indeed packing his bags in Bulgaria once again to take up a post in Turkey. During his almost two-year spell at Samsunspor, Reis had evidently made such an impression that Trabzonspor were now even prepared to pay a transfer fee for him. On Wednesday afternoon, President Ertugrul Dogan reported on Turkish television that a release clause had been activated and that Reis’s salary would amount to one million euros.
Unexpectedly sacked in Samsun
Reis had taken charge at Samsun in the summer of 2024 following a break of almost a year (after leaving Schalke) and had propelled the Black Sea club to unprecedented heights. In his very first season, he led Samsunspor to third place – the best finish in the club’s history. The following season, Reis even took the Turkish side into European competition, but in February 2026, ahead of the Conference League knockout stages, he was surprisingly suspended following two consecutive defeats.
Now comes this exciting move to Trabzon, a club that significantly strengthened its squad last summer. At the reigning cup winners, Reis will come up against players such as Mohamed Salah, Fabinho and goalkeeper André Onana. Ninth place in the table does not sit well with the club’s new ambitions; Trabzon have managed just two wins from five matches and are keen not to let the gap to the leading pack grow too wide so early in the season.
Should Reis wish to strengthen the squad in the winter transfer window, President Dogan has already pledged his support. Dogan currently has two or three new signings in mind, though he sees a need to strengthen “particularly in midfield”.
