From time to time, the competition between Al Ahly and Zamalek starts to rise to the surface. As January’s Egyptian football events approach, the top clubs in Egypt are looking for new players for the upcoming winter period.
There are about five players who emerged early this season in their teams and possessed solid performances in the positions of striker, attacking centre, and defence, which made the sights of both Al Ahli and Zamalek head towards them in order to capture any of them in the winter mercato to add them to their teams. Daily News Egypt highlights the players as follows:
1- Hussein El Shahat, Misr Lel-Makkasa SC
Hussein El Shahat, called Misr Lel-Makkasa’s Joker, who played in more than one position this season, including the centre, right, and left, and praised all the coaches who took over the technical leadership of the club.
El-Shahat started the season strongly, despite the decline in the team’s performance at the beginning of the season, he was the risk factor for the Ghanaian player John Antwi. Emad Soliman took the task of technical leadership of the team, succeeding Moamen Soliman, and El-Shahat continued to shine and lead as top scorer with eight goals and managed to score a hat-trick against Tanta in the seventh round of the tournament, and was able to return the team despite being behind three goals to none, with the game ending with a draw. The scenario was repeated in the ninth round against Wadi Degla Club, ending with the same result.
El-Shahat has shown more than once his desire to play for Al Ahly club, which he announced his allegiance to, and refused to move to Zamalek club during the transfer period last summer to hold on to hopes of wearing the red shirt. Despite renewing his contract with the club for five years, the club’s administration promised to dispense him, upon arrival of an offer from the Red Castle administration.
Age: 25 (21 June 1992)
Market value: €300,000
Matches played: 12
Goals: 8
Assists: 5
Minutes played: 1,089
2 – Amr Al-Saeed, El-Entag El-Harby SC
Amr Al-Saeed, striker at El-Entag El-Harby, managed to snatch the attention of all the teams in the Egyptian Premier League. He was the league’s top scorer, along with Hussein El-Shahat, scoring eight goals in 12 rounds of the Premier League, the last of which was the only goal against Al Masry, in the game they played in the twelfth round of the league.
Amr Al-Saeed had his opening goal this season against Zamalek, after offering his team the only goal against keeper Ahmed El-Shennawi, in the first round, before the game ended with a 1-1 draw.
Al-Saeed started playing in the Premier League in 2013-2014 with El-Gouna Club and participated with them in 42 matches. He scored only five goals before Ihab Galal, the technical manager of Misr Lel-Makkasa, decided to take him in the 2015 season. He only playe six games and did not score any goals, after which the management of El-Entag El-Harby decided to contract him the season before last. He participated in 23 games during which he scored 5 goals.
The president of Zamalek showed interest in adding the player to the team, due to the decline in the level of most of the attacking line of the club.
Age: 27 (27 June 1990)
Market value: €100,000
Matches played: 10
Goals: 8
Assists: 1
Minutes played: 832
3 – Mahmoud Abd ElAziz, Smouha
Mahmoud Abd El Aziz, the midfielder of Alexandria’s club Smouha, has shown that he is a potential star in this position. He has distinguished himself since his transfer to the Alexandrian club with his great effort and ability to balance between defence and offense, till he became the most important player since the start of the league in its current edition.
Abd El Aziz moved from Ismaili to Smouha, during the previous winter transfer period of last season, for three and a half years, although he was close to signing for Al-Ahly club in 2015. However, his cruciate ligament injury prevented him from going to Al-Ahly.
He participated in all of Smouha’s matches, was not replaced nor sat on the substitute bench, and scored the winning goal during the game between Smouha and Tanta in the Premier League. He assisted the second goal, which was scored by Oumed Oukri, in the match against Zamalek in the sixth week.
Al-Ahli and Zamalek have expressed their desire to include him during the upcoming winter transfer period, especially as Al-Ahly lacks his style of playing, which could have led him to be the successor to Hossam Ashour.
Age: 27 (27 July 1990)
Market value: €200,000
Matches played: 12
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Minutes played: 1080
4- Mohamed Farouk, El Mokawloon SC
Hafez Mohamed Farouk, from El-Mokawloon SC, has been remarkably successful in more than one position, and his contribution to the qualifying of his team for the Premier Legaue. Also, his performance has developed from last season.
Farouk participated in 11 matches during the current season, scoring five goals and assisting two. The last of them was the winning goal against Tanta in the last round of the tournament. Before that, he participated in scoring two goals in his team’s victory over El-Entag El-Harby SC.
Farouk previously played for Al-Ahly Club in the 2014-2015 season, but was unable to reach the basic lineup of the team and remained confined to the bench. He played only five games before moving to El-Entag El-Harby and from there went to Wadi Degla club, before returning home El-Mokawloon.
Due to Farouk’s brilliant performance last season, Zamalek club started serious negotiations with the player to encourage him to join the team, but his team offered a much bigger price, leading the deal to end. However, over the past few days, as the player continued to shine, he returned to the picture for Zamalek, especially after the current management demanded that he should be in their lineup.
Age: 28 (14 September 1989)
Market value: €300,000
Matches played: 11
Goals: 5
Assists: 2
Minutes played: 989
5 – Mahmoud Metwally, Ismaili SC
Mahmoud Metwally, defender at Ismaili SC, made Al Ahly club’s management renew their demand to make him join their team. Metwally’s performance was distinguished since the start of the league in its current edition and led the team to remain at the top of the table for 12 weeks.
Metwally plays in more than position: centre and defence, making him a good option for any manager who wants to change his plan during the course of a game. In addition to the young age of the player, which is one of the most important factors that qualify him for joining Al-Ahly, especially as it will benefit the Reds in the long-term, he has international experience despite his youth. Al-Ahly is trying to convince officials of the Ismaili club to settle the deal.
Age: 24 (4 January 1993)
Market value: €450,000
Matches played: 10
Goals: 3
Assists: 0
Minutes played: 855
