Zamalek’s winger Mostafa Fathi joins Saudi's Al-Taawoun on loan
Ahmed Abd El Rasoul, Wednesday 5 Jul 2017
Zamalek's star Fathi follows in the footsteps of Egypt’s veteran goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary who joined Saudi side Al-Taawoun on a one-season deal


Saudi outfit Al-Taawoun have officially signed skillful Zamalek winger Mostafa Fathi on loan for one season with a reported fee of $1.4 million.

The two clubs agreed on an option to make the deal permanent at a later date for $3.6 million.

“For sure, we have signed one of the important Egyptian talents in recent years,” Al-Taawoun’s president Mohamed El-Kasem was quoted as saying by the club’s media centre after signing the contract late Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Fathi is following in the footsteps of Egypt’s veteran goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary who has just joined Al-Taawoun on a one-season deal from Egypt’s Wadi Degla.

During the last year, the Egyptian international Fathi had been linked with a loan move to Italy’s Serie A, to join Torino or Bologna, but Zamalek demanded no less than four million euros to let him go.

Fathi, renowned for his outstanding dribbling skills and ability to evade opponents in one-on-one situations, has established himself as one of Zamalek's key players since joining the club as a teenager in 2013.

He came under the spotlight after some superb performances in the 2014/15 season, helping the team win a rare domestic double (the Egyptian League and Egypt Cup titles).

He also played an instrumental role in guiding Zamalek to the Egypt Cup title last season, scoring the third goal in a 3-1 win over rivals Ahly.

Fathi will be the fourth Egyptian player in the Saudi league besides El-Hadary, Ahly’s defender Mohamed Abdel-Shafy and Ittihad’s winger Mahmoud Kahraba.

Al-Taawoun ended the Saudi league last season in seventh place with 31 points, 35 behind champions Al-Hilal.

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