Zamalek Confirms Ahmed Fattouh Is Not Leaving Amid Saudi Rumors

Ahmed Fattouh’s name has been drifting through the transfer rumour mill, but inside Zamalek the message is blunt: he is going nowhere.

Reports in the Saudi press recently linked the Egypt international left-back with a move to Al-Fateh, riding the wave of his standout performances with the national team at the World Cup. The suggestion was simple enough — a Saudi Pro League side, flush with ambition, eyeing one of Egypt’s most reliable full-backs.

Inside Cairo, the response has been anything but subtle.

On his radio programme, media pundit Ahmed Shobier moved quickly to cool the story, branding the Al-Fateh links as nothing more than journalistic noise. From what he knows, Zamalek are not entertaining the idea of a sale, not even as a hypothetical.

He laid out the situation clearly: a Saudi newspaper may have floated Al-Fateh’s interest, and yes, Fattouh did deliver a “wonderful performance” at the World Cup. His form on the biggest stage only reinforced what Egyptian fans already knew — this is a player of genuine quality, one of the standout left-backs in the region.

But admiration is one thing. Availability is another.

Shobier underlined that Zamalek are not short of options on the left side of defence. Mahmoud Bentayeg is already in the squad. Echo has renewed his contract. Ahmed Khodary featured last season and, in Shobier’s words, proved he can be trusted. On paper, that depth might tempt some clubs to cash in on a star name.

Zamalek see it differently.

Inside the technical staff, Fattouh is not treated as just a left-back. Head coach Moatamed Gamal has leaned on his versatility, using him in more than one position in recent months. His tactical intelligence and comfort in different roles have turned him from a specialist into a pillar — the kind of player coaches build around, not trade away.

That World Cup campaign only hardened that stance. His performances with Egypt did not put him in the shop window so much as they increased his value to Zamalek’s own project. The better he played for the national team, the more indispensable he became at club level.

Shobier’s conclusion left little room for interpretation. Everything being circulated about Fattouh’s supposed move, he insisted, is “merely journalistic speculation.” Then he went further, saying he is “one million per cent” confident it is impossible for Zamalek to let the defender go. For him, the matter is settled.

So while the Saudi market keeps casting its net across North Africa, Zamalek are busy with something else entirely.

The team continue their preparations for the new season at their current camp, sharpening fitness and rhythm through a string of friendlies. The countdown is already on: their league campaign opens against Al-Ittihad Al-Sakandary on 21 August at Cairo International Stadium.

If those inside the club are to be believed, Ahmed Fattouh will be there — not as a transfer story, but as a cornerstone of Zamalek’s push into the new season.