E&S journalist has inkling that West Brom 29y/o will exit Hawthorns ahead of next season
Express & Star journalist Joseph Masi has a feeling that Ahmed Hegazi will no longer be a West Brom player by the time next season comes around.
Hegazi, 29, joined the Baggies in 2017 on a loan deal that was soon made permanent after a decent start to life in the West Midlands.
The Egypt international was a mainstay for Tony Pulis, Alan Pardew, Darren Moore and Jimmy Shan but has found it difficult to earn minutes under Slaven Bilic, with him starting just eight Championship matches this season.
Part of the reason why Hegazi’s not played as much is because he had to undergo surgery in the summer and wasn’t fit to play until October but Kyle Bartley’s form has also seen the Egyptian drop down the pecking order.
Masi hasn’t heard anything from his sources to suggest that Hegazi will leave but he feels as though the ex-Fiorentina defender is coming to the end of his spell at The Hawthorns.
“There’s just a bit of an inkling but I’m not 100 per cent sure Hegazi’s going to be at the club next season,” Masi said on the Baggies Broadcast podcast.
“I’ve got absolutely no knowledge why but it just feels like, at his age and because he hasn’t been first-choice this season, it might be a natural parting of the ways.”
Masi added: “He would expect to be playing every week and has had to make do with a place on the bench for a long time because Bartley did so well.
“I can honestly say I’m not saying that with any background knowledge but there are other people in the media who feel the same.”
Masi isn’t the only one who has this feeling because we can see Hegazi moving on in the summer as well.
Hegazi is a starting centre-back for Egpyt and will know that he can only keep that spot if he is playing regularly in club football.
He also knows that he has been able to perform well in the Premier League and might see it beneath him to be a back-up defender in the Championship.
In the winter, Hegazi was targetted by Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, who had a £3.4million bid rejected by the Baggies for the centre-back [Sky Sports].
There were also reports of a training ground incident involving the 29-year-old, which hasn’t really been mentioned since it all blew over.
Who knows? Hegazi could be starting alongside Semi Ajayi come Saturday when Albion host Birmingham at The Hawthorns and he could be the starting centre-back in the Premier League next season if we go up.
But if we had to put money on Hegazi’s future, we’d put it on it being away from the Black Country.
In other West Brom news, Kevin Phillips believes Gareth Barry could be offered a coaching role at The Hawthorns.
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