Goalkeeper Mohamed Abdul-Monsef has ended an 11-year spell with Zamalek to join Gouna for EGP two million on Thursday. "I penned the contract today. I will now join up with Gouna for their pre-season preparations," Abdul-Monsef told FilGoal.com. The 33-year-old's transfer ends a protracted summer saga that almost saw him fall out with Zamalek, the club he made his name with. The Cairo side agreed to let him depart but their negotiations with Gouna looked to have reached an impasse. Abdul-Monsef said recently he considered invoking article 17 of FIFA's regulations to leave Zamalek without their consent. The White Knights eventually accepted Gouna's offer to give Abdul-Monsef a new lease of life. Grateful "I'm grateful to Zamalek board of directors and fans. I'm pleased that I left the club through the appropriate channels," he added.
Al-Hadari could replace Abdul-Monsef "I will be ready to serve Zamalek whenever they need me. I just wanted to move on to play on a regular basis and return to the Egyptian national team." Abdul-Monsef joined Zamalek in 1999 from Dina Farms but lived in the shadow of first-choice goalie and fans favorite Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed. Al-Sayed's recurring injuries gave Abdul-Monsef the chance to play regularly on numerous occasions during the past ten years but he struggled to win over Zamalek supporters. He was repeatedly blamed for conceding many goals against arch-rivals Ahli during the mid 2000s. Zamalek have stepped up their efforts to sign a replacement for the long-serving guardian. They opened talks with Ismaili to acquire the services of Egypt keeper Essam Al-Hadari but are yet to reach an agreement with their traditional football allies. Former Arsenal keeper Rami Shaaban, an Egyptian-born keeper who plays for Sweeden, has been also linked with Zamalek.
