Chelsea’s Salah ‘has the ability to develop’

Former Chelsea star Paul Canoville believes out-of-favour wide-man Mohamed Salah can still make the grade at Stamford Bridge but must improve his end product.

The 22-year-old was given a chance in Tuesday’s 2-1 Capital One Cup victory over Shrewsbury, but he failed to impress manager Jose Mourinho.

Despite looking lively, Salah’s quality in the final third was often lacking and his shooting wayward – prompting Mourinho to criticise the Egyptian and the efforts of Chelsea’s fringe players.

---

“You have to give the manager something that makes him sit up and take notice.”

Paul Canoville

Canoville, who spent five years with the Blues in the 1980s and was Chelsea’s first black player, told West London Sport: “He’s quick and he’s got tricks, but like me when I played, the final ball isn’t always right and he needs to work on that.

“Chelsea are playing some serious one-touch football and I am not sure he’s used to it. But he has the ability to develop and he has promise and talent. You could see that when he was at Basel.”

Mourinho said after the hard-fought win over League Two Shrewsbury that he had expected those who featured to “raise their level” and create selection problems for him.

But the Portuguese suggested their displays meant it would be easy to pick his team to face QPR in the west London derby on Saturday.

Canoville, who is still involved at Chelsea on the hospitality side of the club, sympathises with Salah’s situation.

“It’s real tough when you are not a regular and you are playing with all the pressure, knowing you have to give a performance – whether a whole game, 25 minutes or 15 minutes,” said Canoville, who now runs his own business, Motivate To Change.

“You have to give the manager something that makes him sit up and take notice and really want you. But he needs to instantly shine when he plays – that’s the problem.

“He needs game time and sharpness but at Chelsea you don’t get that unless you are doing it on the pitch from the off. He needs to do it right away, so it’s Catch 22.”

Paul Canoville runs Motivate to Change, visiting schools, prisons and community groups talking about his experiences dealing with bullying, racism and trying to inspire people to overcome adversity.

For more information visit www.paulcanoville.com or contact mtcfoundation@yahoo.co.uk

Follow West London Sport on Twitter
Find us on Facebook