Ismaila Bamba has completed a move to WE Sports Club from Al-Arabi on a free transfer, ending his spell in the United Arab Emirates and returning to Egyptian football as a centre-forward option for the Cairo-based side. The 33-year-old Senegalese striker joins WE SC after his contract with Al-Arabi concluded, with the transfer registered as a free move effective from 2026-02-05 and running through to an undisclosed end date.
The deal sees Bamba return to a country and league he knows well, having previously represented several Egyptian clubs before his switch to the UAE. WE SC secure a physically imposing attacker, listed at 1.86m and predominantly right-footed, who has spent the bulk of his career operating through the middle as a traditional centre-forward.
No formal transfer fee was involved in the move, underlining Bamba’s status at the end of his spell with Al-Arabi. At his last recorded valuation before leaving Petrojet, he was listed with a market value of €100,000, having risen from €75,000 earlier in 2025. His subsequent valuation at Al-Arabi was recorded at €0, indicating that he was effectively out of the club’s long-term plans and free to move on.
Bamba’s arrival continues a long-running association with Egyptian football. Before heading to the UAE, he played for Petrojet, El Dakhlia SC, Tanta SC and El Shorta, all within the Egyptian system. That sequence followed an earlier period where he had no registered club listed before joining El Shorta. His latest switch ensures he remains an expatriate professional, competing in Egypt rather than in his home country of Senegal.
The 33-year-old’s career path has been marked by gradual progression through Egyptian sides, from El Shorta to Tanta SC in 2019, then to El Dakhlia later that same year, and on to Petrojet in 2022. Each move kept him within the Egyptian football structure until his 2025 transfer to Al-Arabi in the UAE. Now, with WE SC securing his services, he re-enters a familiar environment where his experience in local conditions and opposition should be immediately valuable.
Statistical details of his most recent campaign, including appearances, goals and assists, are not provided in the available data, nor are individual match performances. However, the steady presence of Bamba in the professional ranks across multiple seasons in Egypt and abroad underscores his durability and adaptability as a forward.
From a broader perspective, Bamba’s confirmed transfer reinforces Egypt’s role as a key destination for Senegalese and West African players seeking competitive football outside their domestic leagues. For WE SC, the signing offers additional depth and experience in attack without a transfer fee outlay, while for Bamba it represents another chapter in a career that has been closely tied to North African football.
With his contract at WE SC now active from 2026-02-05, the Senegalese striker faces a fresh opportunity to extend his reputation in a league and country he knows well. How he adjusts to his new surroundings and contributes on the pitch will be central to defining the final phase of his professional journey.
