There aren’t many players still remaining from West Bromwich Albion’s last venture in the Premier League but one name has been overlooked ever since Slaven Bilic was first appointed.
Ahmed Hegazi originally joined the Baggies on loan from Al Ahly in the summer of 2017 and was a regular presence in the starting XI as they were relegated to the Championship.
That move was soon made permanent for £4m to add to the £875k loan fee. He again featured heavily in their maiden Championship campaign but since the arrival of the Croatian, he’s barely been seen.
The 29-year-old is yet to feature this campaign and hasn’t even been involved in the matchday squad since the opening day thrashing by Leicester City, which is rather damning as Albion have leaked 11 goals in three Premier League matches.
Even last term, the Egyptian international only made 14 starts in the second tier.
Hegazi is taking in wages thought to be around £27.5k-per-week, putting him among the highest earners at the Hawthorns. That’s £3k more than first-choice pairing Semi Ajayi and Kyle Bartley combined and is higher than what skipper Jake Livermore is on too.
It means the club are effectively wasting finances on a player that’s clearly not in the first-team plans, even more so after the arrival of central defender Cedric Kipre and the emergence of Dara O’Shea as the third prong in a three-man defence.
In total, the Midlands outfit have spent around £9.5m on Hegazi alone, given that they are now struggling to fund a move for a new striker this transfer window, you can only imagine the regret some may have in keeping the veteran on the books.
He’s surely been one of Mark Jenkins’ biggest mistakes and the former CEO is not even around anymore to deal with the consequences.
If Bilic cannot secure Karlan Grant by the deadline, then it could be down to players like Hegazi wasting away at the club.
AND in other news, West Brom boss Slaven Bilic should unleash starlet Pulis once lauded…
