Club make Hegazi stay permanent
ALBION have completed the signing of Egypt international defender Ahmed Hegazi on a permanent deal.
The 26-year-old has been on loan from Al Ahly, joining the Baggies in July, and the option has been taken to prolong his stay at The Hawthorns.
An undisclosed fee has been agreed between the two clubs and Hegazi has signed a contract until the summer of 2022.
He was brought to the club by former boss Tony Pulis but new manager Alan Pardew has welcomed the decision to keep the player.
He said: “This is great news for the club. Ahmed has been absolutely terrific for me since I arrived and I am sure there is even more to come from him in the future.
“He is one of the players we can build around on the road ahead.
“He has a big role to play and it is good for the player and the club to remove any doubts and make the transfer permanent. I’m sure it is something the supporters will also welcome.”
Albion are without a Premier League win since August and sit in the relegation zone after Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United, but Hegazi had no hesitation committing his future to the club and is confident things will improve soon and Albion can pull away from the danger zone.
“I am very happy with the club and very happy to be part of this group of players,” he said.
“I know the results are not what we would want at the moment.
“But there is great spirit here and I am sure we will turn the results in our favour before long.”
Hegazi marked his debut by scoring the only goal in a home victory over Bournemouth on the opening day of the season and made 19 appearances for the club.