Zamalek Confirms Ahmed Fattouh Will Not Leave Amid Saudi Links
Zamalek shut door on Fattouh exit as Saudi links dismissed
Ahmed Fattouh’s name has been circulating in the transfer rumour mill, but inside Zamalek the message is blunt: he is going nowhere.
In recent days, Saudi reports pushed a story of Al-Fateh tracking the left-back, buoyed by the form he showed with Egypt at the recent World Cup. A move to the Saudi Pro League always turns heads. This one has been firmly knocked down.
Media pundit Ahmed Shobier used his radio programme to pour cold water on the speculation, labelling the Al-Fateh talk as nothing more than journalistic noise. From what he says, Zamalek are not even entertaining the idea of a sale.
He acknowledged why Fattouh’s name has drawn interest. The defender delivered a standout World Cup, impressing on the biggest stage and reinforcing his status as one of Egypt’s most reliable full-backs. Perform like that and your name travels quickly.
But the admiration stops short of negotiations. Shobier underlined that, inside the club, there is no discussion about letting him leave and no appetite to cash in. In his words, the situation is “settled”.
Zamalek do have depth at left-back. Mahmoud Bentayeg is in the squad. Echo has renewed his contract. Ahmed Khodary featured last season and showed he can be trusted. On paper, that gives Moatamed Gamal options.
The numbers do not change the equation. Fattouh is more than a position on a teamsheet for this coaching staff. Gamal has relied on him in multiple roles in recent months, using his versatility as a tactical tool rather than a luxury.
His World Cup performances only hardened that stance. The tournament did not turn Fattouh into a saleable asset; it turned him into an even more important one. His “technical value”, as Shobier put it, has risen inside the dressing room, not on the market.
So when talk of Saudi offers surfaced, the response from Shobier was emphatic. Everything being circulated, he insisted, is simply speculation. He went as far as to say he is “one million per cent” sure Zamalek will not allow Fattouh to depart.
While the rumours swirl outside, Zamalek’s focus is locked on the pitch. The team continue their pre-season camp, sharpening up through a run of friendlies and tuning Gamal’s plans for the campaign ahead.
The first real test comes on 21 August at Cairo International Stadium, when they open their league season against Al-Ittihad Al-Sakandary. All signs point to Ahmed Fattouh lining up in white, not boarding a flight to Saudi Arabia.
