West Brom have confirmed the signing of Egyptian defender, Ali Gabr on loan with a buyback option. Gabr plays for Zamalek in the Egyptian Premier League and has been considered for a transfer by Albion for quite some time now. The Baggies will be able to sign him permanently for £1.1m in the summer.
The 29-year-old is an international teammate of West Brom’s Ahmed Hegazi, who is a key figure in the Albion lineup. Hegazi has flourished in the English game and is highly rated by the fans at the Hawthorns. However, whether Gabr will enjoy equal success as his compatriot cannot be said for certain. Gabr’s career has conjured up domestic football experience and has seen him get capped 12 times for the Egypt national team. He is pegged to play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well.
The Premier League is a huge skip for any player with no experience and more often than not, players fail to live up to their expectation. But it looks like Alan Pardew has no choice but prepare for the exit of his best defender, Jonny Evans to an elite side by the end of January.
West Bromwich Albion are currently struggling in the relegation zone of the Premier League and finally ended their 21 games winless run with a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month.
Although things are looking positive with two back to back wins in the league and the FA Cup, they are not out of the woods yet. If they want to save their campaign and escape relegation, Alan Pardew needs to address the problems at hand.
After Tony Pulis’ sacking, the former Crystal Palace manager has taken a bit of time to set the team towards a promising path. They are coming off an impressive 3-2 win against Liverpool last weekend and have secured a loan deal for their out of favour striker, Daniel Sturridge.
With Gabr also in the lineup, Pardew can launch an improved final push towards the top half of the table just like their previous relegation rivals, Crystal Palace and West Ham United. Both the clubs have surged ahead with a 5 point gap from the bottom as they are currently placed in the 11th and 13th spot respectively.
Now that Gabr has arrived, is the Jonny Evans deal to Arsenal confirmed? The Gunners have already agreed upon a transfer fee for Borussia Dortmund’s, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and can make it a highly successful January transfer window by sweeping up Evans for £20m.
