Ahmed Shobier Addresses Abou Ali Return Talks and Zamalek's Bezerra Sale

The dream is alive. The deal is dead.

That, in essence, was Ahmed Shobier’s message as he lifted the lid on the latest swirl of rumours around Palestinian striker Wessam Abou Ali and a possible return to Al-Ahly in the winter window.

On his radio show, the former Al-Ahly goalkeeper laid out the situation bluntly. There had been talk that the African champions were “testing the waters” with Columbus Crew over bringing Abou Ali back to Cairo, exploring whether the MLS side might be tempted to part with a forward who left a clear mark during his spell in red.

Shobier admitted he allowed himself a moment of hope.

“I said, if only, because he was a player who made a huge difference with Al-Ahly,” he recalled.

The wish, though, runs straight into a brick wall in Ohio. According to Shobier, the Columbus Crew coach has made his stance clear: Abou Ali is the future of the club. No negotiations. No opening. No exit.

The coach, he said, believes the striker’s recent injury hurt the team and is simply waiting for him to return and lead the line again. That endorsement slams the door on any realistic January move.

Shobier did not hide the emotional pull of the idea for Al-Ahly fans. “If there is even half a chance of him returning to Al-Ahly, I say to the Al-Ahly club, do not hesitate,” he urged. Then came the cold reality. “The idea of his return is almost non-existent, but it is important for one to dream and think.”

Al-Ahly’s anger, Al-Ahly’s response

While the Abou Ali file closes almost as soon as it opened, the immediate concern in Cairo is not the transfer market but the reaction on the pitch.

Shobier revealed that new Moroccan coach Hossein Ammouta held what he described as a “very, very long lecture” with the squad on Monday. This was no routine team talk. By his account, players and coach opened up, spoke honestly, and laid bare what has gone wrong in recent weeks.

“You feel that the players are motivated and want the next match,” Shobier said, describing a group stung by criticism. There is, he added, “a state of anger” in the dressing room, with players fully aware of how “very, very angry” the supporters have become over recent performances. The response from within? A desire to prove themselves and raise the level, starting immediately.

That “next match” comes quickly. Al-Ahly face Abu Qir for Fertilizers on Tuesday in the Premier League, a fixture that suddenly feels heavier than its billing. The champions sit third on 10 points, level with Zamalek on goal difference and two behind leaders Pyramids. The margin is small, the mood is not. Ammouta’s long meeting will be judged not by its length, but by the intensity Al-Ahly show when the whistle blows.

The end of the Bezerra saga

Across the city, Zamalek have finally reached the end of a different kind of drama.

“Finally the closing credits have rolled on the Bezerra nights saga,” Shobier said, summing up a transfer story that has dragged and drained.

In the end, Zamalek had no real choice but to accept Juan Bezerra’s departure to Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai.

The reasons, as Shobier listed them, cut in two directions. From the club’s side, there was “no hope left with him.” From the player’s side, the offer from Dubai fit perfectly: money, lifestyle, a new chapter he had no intention of walking away from. Zamalek, he explained, tried “left and right” to shift the situation. Nothing worked.

Then comes the hard financial truth. The club is in the grip of what Shobier called a “very, very severe financial crisis.” Players are owed money. They want their dues. They want clarity. In that climate, Bezerra’s sale turns from a sporting frustration into an economic necessity.

Shobier laid out the numbers. The deal brings Zamalek 3 million dollars in cash upon signing, another 1 million in February, and a further 1 million in August. On top of that, there is 1 million dollars in incentives and bonuses. In his words, “Zamalek here is telling you I have 6 million dollars.”

The club’s gain does not stop there. Bezerra’s agent was due a 10% commission, close to 600,000 dollars, which was waived. The player also gave up 5% sponsorship rights and a league title bonus of around 20,000 dollars. When all that is factored in, Shobier calculated that Zamalek are effectively “reaching approximately 7 million dollars” in value from the package.

One last twist came in the final hours of negotiation. Initially, there was no resale clause protecting Zamalek in any future move. Shobier revealed that in the “final metres” of the talks, the White Castle pushed through a key amendment: a clause entitling the club to 20% of any future sale of Bezerra.

So Zamalek lose a player, but gain cash, breathing room, and a potential future windfall. Al-Ahly, meanwhile, must park the Abou Ali dream and turn their frustration into performances.

Both giants move on, for very different reasons. The table, and the season, will show which of them made the more decisive step.