Mohamed Abou Gabal rejected six offers before joining Maghreb Athletic Tetouan

Mohamed Abou Gabal turned down six other offers before agreeing to join Maghreb Athletic Tetouan, according to his brother and agent Mustafa Abou Gabal.

The Egypt goalkeeper completed his move to the Moroccan club on Wednesday, signing a one-year contract.

Mustafa Abou Gabal said his brother had been determined to play in Morocco as he attempts to return to the Egypt national team.

“Abou Gabal was hoping to play professionally in the Moroccan league in order to return to the Egypt national team,” he told FilGoal.com.

The 37-year-old rejected three offers from Egyptian clubs because he wanted to begin an overseas spell, his agent added.

“We rejected three offers from the Egyptian league because Abou Gabal wanted to have a professional experience abroad,” he said.

The goalkeeper also received one offer from Turkey and two more from Morocco. However, he chose Maghreb Athletic Tetouan after being impressed by the seriousness of the club’s president and his desire to have Abou Gabal in the squad.

“We received an offer from Turkey and two offers from Morocco, but we preferred moving to Maghreb Athletic Tetouan because the club president was serious in dealing with the player and keen for Abou Gabal to be part of the team,” Mustafa Abou Gabal said.

The club confirmed the signing on its website, saying it had completed the deal to strengthen its squad for the current sporting season.

“Maghreb Athletic Tetouan completed today, Wednesday, the signing of Egypt international goalkeeper Mohamed Abou Gabal to strengthen the team for the current sporting season,” the club said.

It added that the contract was signed by club president Mohamed Jadaouni in the presence of board members and the player’s representative, describing the ceremony as the formal completion of the agreement.

The Moroccan club said Abou Gabal’s international experience with Egypt would provide an important addition in goal and described him as one of the most prominent figures in its new project.

Abou Gabal left Modern Sport at the end of last season. His move to Maghreb Athletic Tetouan will be the first overseas club experience of his career.

He began his career with ENPPI before joining Zamalek. He later played for Smouha, returned to Zamalek, and subsequently represented National Bank of Egypt and Modern Sport.

Abou Gabal has made 296 appearances for Egyptian clubs, conceding 288 goals and keeping 109 clean sheets.

The goalkeeper, widely known as Gabaski, now joins a Maghreb Athletic Tetouan side coached by Amin El Karma. El Karma replaced Abdelkrim El Jinani, who departed the club by mutual consent.