After acquiring Curtis Davis from Birmingham earlier last week, Steve Bruce continued to strengthen his first-team squad by signing Ahmed Elmohamady from Sunderland on a three-year contract. The Egyptian arrives at the KC Stadium in a deal believed to be in the region of £2m and is reunited with the Tigers after a successful loan stint in the club’s promotion-winning 2012/13 campaign.
Having found himself out of favour under Martin O’Neill at the Stadium of Light, the 25-year-old has been deemed surplus to requirement in Paolo Di Canio’s summer overhaul of the Black Cats’ squad. Speaking to the club’s official website upon completion of the deal, Elmohamady – who was voted the club’s Player of the Year for 2012/13 – was clearly thrilled with a move which should offer him plenty of game time in the season ahead:
“It feels great to be here permanently, especially after what happened here last season. It was a great year and I thoroughly enjoyed playing for this club. Everything about it was great – the players, the staff, the fans – and I am delighted to be here again. It’s going to be great to play in the Premier League again, especially with Hull City, and I am very much looking forward to the new season. Moving here was an easy decision to make. The fans are fantastic and it will be enjoyable to play in front of them in the Premier League.”
The History
Elmohamady’s career began as a 17-year-old in his native country with Ghazl El-Mahalla back in 2004. Starting out as a forward, he notched three times in seven matches before being snapped up by Egyptian outfit ENPPI in the summer of 2006 – utilised as a right wing-back, he popped up on European radars after producing 11 goals and 12 assists over 61 appearances for the club.
Despite interest from Germany, Belgium and Romania, Elmohamady made his way to Sunderland on a season-long loan in July 2010, having impressed then-manager Steve Bruce during a trial spell the previous year. After producing three assists over 36 appearances in his first season at the Stadium of Light, the Egyptian sealed a permanent deal but his game time ended with Bruce’s departure midway through the following campaign – having returned a goal and assist from 18 appearances, he was cast aside by incoming boss Martin O’Neill.
Reunited with Bruce last season, Elmohamady produced three goals and nine assists in 41 appearances as the Tigers finished second behind Cardiff in the race for promotion. Midway through the previous campaign, Bruce explained just how crucial the Egyptian is to his 3-5-2 system:
“With the way we play, he is a key player and makes the wing-back position look very easy. The ability to run up and down the wing is an art and the position suits him down to the ground. We’re delighted to have him back.”
On the international stage, Elmohamady has turned out for his country on 43 occasions, scoring twice, and has helped Egypt to the African Cup of Nations trophy in 2008 and 2010.
The Prospects
Fielded as a right wing-back for virtually all of the previous campaign, Elmohamady’s potential for the season ahead is likely to be determined by his classification across the Fantasy games. If he’s listed as a defender, the Egyptian’s appeal would be significantly boosted, with a budget-friendly price of around 4.5 anticipated in Fantasy Premier League (FPL); although the Tigers racked up 16 clean sheets in 2012/13, they are likely to struggle defensively in the top-flight, with Elmohamady’s attacking potential key to his prospects.
On the other hand, if – as perhaps anticipated – he comes in as a midfielder, his case would be far less persuasive. A price of around 5.0 could be expected in FPL and, while his game time is guaranteed under Bruce, he may struggle for our attentions if team mates such as Robbie Brady (four goals, 13 assists last year) or Robert Koren (nine goals, five assists) are similarly priced.
Furthermore, it was perhaps revealing that Bruce opted for a 4-4-1-1 in his side’s decisive league game against Cardiff – it may well be that the Tigers boss tries to tighten up in the top-flight and turn away from a three-man backline. Although Elmohamady retained his right wing berth for that game against the Bluebirds, both Brady and Koren offer options in “the hole” should Bruce opt for a lone striker system and with both sharing corners – in addition to Koren’s spot-kicks – there’d be little case for Elmohamady’s inclusion over either of the pair if he comes in as a midfielder.
In terms of fixtures, Bruce’s side have been handed four strong opening home games to kick off the new campaign. With Norwich, Cardiff, West Ham and Villa all rolling up to the KC by Gameweek 7, the Tigers are afforded a decent platform to get some points on the board early on – Elmohamady has the potential to benefit, then, though just how favourably we look upon the Egyptian relies firmly on where he’s placed when the player lists are rolled out later this month.
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