Al Ahly inches closer to locking Hussein El Shahat in for the long haul

Negotiations advance as Al Ahly eyes renewal for Hussein El Shahat

Al Ahly's football management has reached a preliminary agreement to renew Hussein El Shahat's contract in the near future.

A source told KOOORA that a three-way meeting took place in recent hours involving Sayed Abd El-Hafiz, board member and deputy director of football operations, Walid Salah El-Din, the football director, and the player in question.

The source added that El Shahat has tentatively agreed to extend his contract, which runs out at the end of this season.

Attendance in the talks highlighted some technicalities about contract length: Al Ahly reportedly offered a one-year renewal with the second year subject to mutual consent, while El Shahat prefers a two-year term with a potential third year by mutual agreement.

The financial package is said to include 18 million Egyptian pounds per season, plus an additional 3 million pounds annually from advertising tied to the club’s football operations.

El Shahat has returned to full training after recovering from injury and is expected to be fit for the Enppi match tomorrow evening, the opening round of the group stage in the Egyptian Professional Clubs Association Cup.

Punchline 1: If this deal ages like fine wine, by year two Shahat will be serving déjà vu on a silver platter. Punchline 2: In football contracts, patience is a virtue—good thing Al Ahly has a whole stadium full of it and a press conference with complimentary coffee.