Wessam Abou Ali's Return to Al-Ahly: Dreams vs. Reality
Ahmed Shobier has poured cold water on Al-Ahly fans’ hopes of seeing Palestinian striker Wessam Abou Ali back in Cairo this winter – while painting a stark, money-first picture of Zamalek’s decision to let Juan Bezerra go.
Abou Ali: A dream Al-Ahly can’t afford to wake up from
Speaking on his radio show on Monday, the former Al-Ahly goalkeeper addressed the growing noise around a potential January move.
“There was talk published yesterday that Al-Ahly had begun to open discussions or test the waters over the return of Wessam Abou Ali, and whether Columbus Crew would agree to his departure or not,” Shobier said.
He made no attempt to hide his admiration for the forward.
“I said, if only, because he was a player who made a huge difference with Al-Ahly,” he admitted.
Then came the reality check. According to Shobier, Columbus Crew have shut the door.
“The Columbus Crew coach said he is the future of the club, there is no chance of him leaving, and he said his injury had affected the team and that he will return soon.”
That line alone undercuts the transfer chatter. Columbus see Abou Ali not as a saleable asset, but as a cornerstone.
Shobier still allowed himself – and Al-Ahly supporters – a moment of wishful thinking.
“If there is even half a chance of him returning to Al-Ahly, I say to the Al-Ahly club, do not hesitate. The idea of his return is almost non-existent, but it is important for one to dream and think.”
For now, it remains exactly that: a dream. The champions must look elsewhere while the Palestinian forward prepares to resume his role in MLS.
Ammouta turns up the heat inside Al-Ahly
With transfer fantasies parked, Shobier shifted to the present and the mood inside Al-Ahly’s camp ahead of their league clash with Abu Qir for Fertilizers on Tuesday.
He revealed that Moroccan coach Hossein Ammouta has gone deep with his squad.
“The Moroccan Hossein Ammouta held a very, very long lecture yesterday with the players, and they opened their hearts to one another and spoke together,” Shobier said.
It was not a routine team talk. It sounded like a clear-the-air summit.
“You feel that the players are motivated and want the next match, and there is a state of anger because they see that the fans are very, very angry with the performances in the recent period, and the players want to prove themselves and deliver a better level.”
Al-Ahly go into the Abu Qir game under pressure. They sit third in the Premier League table with 10 points, level with Zamalek on goal difference and two points behind leaders Pyramids. The margin for error is thin, and the crowd’s patience even thinner.
The message from Ammouta’s meeting is simple: the response has to start now.
Bezerra and Zamalek: the saga finally ends
Then Shobier crossed the city.
“Finally the closing credits have rolled on the Bezerra nights saga,” he said of Juan Bezerra’s protracted exit from Zamalek.
“Zamalek had no option but to agree to Bezerra's departure, for several reasons, among them that there is no hope left with him. The Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai offer suited him, it settled in his mind and he will not go back on it, money and then the life in Dubai, and Zamalek tried left and right but there was nothing.”
It was a blunt assessment. The player’s mind was made up. The club, weighed down by its own problems, could not afford a drawn-out standoff.
“The club is suffering from a very, very severe financial crisis and so Zamalek is in dire need of money, and the players have dues owed to them and want their money,” Shobier explained.
Then he laid out the deal that finally broke the deadlock.
“As I told you yesterday, the financial details of the contract, 3 million dollars cash upon signing, one million dollars in February and one million in August, in addition to one million dollars in incentives and bonuses. Zamalek here is telling you I have 6 million dollars,” he said.
The club also gained from what Bezerra agreed to leave on the table.
“There was a 10% commission for his agent close to 600 thousand dollars which was waived, and also 5% sponsorship rights, and the league title bonus which was around 20 thousand dollars, so the player gave all this up. Zamalek is telling you like this, I am reaching approximately 7 million dollars.”
That number matters in a dressing room waiting on overdue payments.
Shobier added one more late twist in the negotiations.
“What I knew yesterday was that there was no resale clause for Zamalek club, but I learned that Zamalek in the final metres insisted on writing a clause entitling the club to a 20% share of the value of the player's sale in the future,” he said.
Zamalek walk away with immediate cash, a slice of any future sale, and a little breathing space in a suffocating financial crisis. Bezerra gets his move, his money, and Dubai.
Al-Ahly chase points. Zamalek chase dollars. The season, and the pressure, only intensify from here.
