Hegazi bid

[Cunninghamismagic]

Paltry bid. If he goes to will be to a Premier League side or similar

[Bloke who lives abroad]

Hegazi would be crazy to go there.

We should keep him and play him. Our CB's needs a freshen-up.

[sickParrot]

Too good to be sat on the bench in this league.

[Squid]

Doesn't sound happy though:

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/f...r-17458942

[SW4Baggie]

Understandably he’s probably not happy about his limited game time, but he has to realise that Ajayi and Bartley have forged an impressive partnership... he chose to play in the ANC and delay his return to fitness, and the club supported him in return for him playing through the injections in the run in.

His form when he has played in both the first team and the stiffs hasn’t been good enough to displace the present pairing, and as is Sod’s law, he’d have got game time today if he’d not been throwing his toys out the pram.

This is probably Slav’s first real man management test for us this season... for me OShea starts at Barnsley!

[Kit Kat Chunky]

I'd tell him he is staying until the summer, like it or not, and we will let him go then for an acceptable bid.

[Pragmatist]

Just posted by Steve Madeley for The Athletic:

Ahmed Hegazi could start for West Bromwich Albion at Barnsley on Boxing Day but the defender’s future beyond January is uncertain after he was left out of the squad for Saturday’s draw against Brentford. The Egypt international was omitted by manager Slaven Bilic following a dispute over his non-participation in a training drill on the eve of the game.

And, with the Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad making the opening moves in a bid to lure Hegazi from The Hawthorns, Albion are braced for a lengthy transfer saga in the new year as they try to keep the 28-year-old at the club and reverse a gradual fracturing of relations that culminated in Friday’s disagreement.

The Athletic understands Hegazi’s omission on Saturday followed a difference of opinion over his role in one training drill during Friday’s final preparations for the Brentford fixture.

Bilic believed Hegazi, who made such an impression in the Premier League during his first season at the club, playing all 38 of their league matches in 2017-18, had refused to take part in the session and the West Brom head coach reacted by axing him from the squad for Saturday’s game.

Hegazi, however, insists he had not been asked to take part in the drill and was surprised by his non-involvement against the London side, who left The Hawthorns with a point after Henrik Dalsgaard’s 43rd-minute header was cancelled out by a similar goal from Darnell Furlong in first-half stoppage time.

The incident was the culmination of several weeks of mounting frustrations for Hegazi at his continued absence from the starting XI.

Most Albion supporters and, it seems, Hegazi himself, had expected him to return to the team once he was fully fit after summer ankle surgery left him unavailable for selection until October. Bilic, however, has opted to keep faith with Semi Ajayi and Kyle Bartley, whose partnership in central defence has helped Albion claim top spot in the Championship at Christmas.

The disagreement dates back to the end of last season, when Hegazi chose to delay surgery in order to represent Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations, which his country hosted. Having the operation at the start of the summer would have given Hegazi a chance to be fit for the start of the season, reducing the risk of losing his starting place. Hegazi insisted, however, that having played through the pain for Albion in the Championship play-off semi-final against Aston Villa, it was reasonable to do likewise to take part in a major international tournament on home soil.

He cancelled holiday plans to have surgery and begin his rehabilitation immediately after Egypt’s elimination at the hands of South Africa in the last-16 on July 6. His rehabilitation gave summer signing Ajayi and Bartley the chance to cement their places in the team, leaving Hegazi as an increasingly frustrated onlooker.

Hegazi’s omission on Saturday coincided with an ankle injury that forced Bartley off the field early in the second half. That meant Dara O’Shea, the 20-year-old Irishman who graduated from Albion’s academy, made his Championship debut, having replaced Hegazi among the substitutes.

O’Shea is likely to travel to Oakwell on Boxing Day but, with Hegazi having served his unofficial suspension, Bilic could opt for his extra experience from the start if Bartley fails to shake off his injury in time to partner Ajayi.

That would add another dynamic to Al-Ittihad’s likely pursuit of Hegazi next month. The Saudi club who, coincidentally, were managed briefly by Bilic, have signalled their interest and are likely to be encouraged by news of Friday’s incident. The Athletic understands that no formal bid has yet been lodged but Al-Ittihad have made clear their interest and value Hegazi at around £3.5 million.

Given Hegazi’s recent absence from the team, a parting of the ways might suit both parties but it would take a significantly higher bid to give Albion a dilemma, given that Hegazi’s departure would leave them requiring a replacement in the January transfer window.

They would not be prepared to go into the second half of the season with just Bartley, Ajayi and O’Shea as centre-back options.

Nathan Ferguson and Darnell Furlong both have experience of playing at centre-back but both are viewed as full-backs by Bilic, and Ferguson’s own future is uncertain after his representatives put talks over a five-year contract offer from Albion on hold.

(Photo: Adam Fradgley – AMA/WBA FC via Getty Images)

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Steve Madeley has been a journalist for more than 20 years, including 16 years covering sport, mainly football, and eight years exclusively following West Bromwich Albion. The majority of his career was spent with the Express & Star in the West Midlands. He has also worked for most UK national newspapers and websites including The Times, The Mirror and BBC Sport Online. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMadeley78.