Ahmed Khattab: Ghazl El Mahalla exit was decided before season began

Ahmed Khattab says his relationship with Ghazl El Mahalla had effectively ended before the start of the season, while defending former player Mahmoud Salah following his move to Al Ahly.

The 18-year-old signed a five-year contract with Al Ahly during the summer transfer window after featuring for Ghazl El Mahalla last season.

“Mahmoud Salah needs to be given enough time because he did not get the appropriate opportunity to play regularly in the league and establish himself as a starter at Al Ahly,” Khattab said on On Sport.

Khattab believes Salah can operate in several attacking roles and dismissed comparisons with Al Ahly midfielder Emam Ashour.

“He can play on either wing or as a centre-forward. He is not similar to Emam Ashour,” he added.

“Salah is comfortable using both his right and left foot, although his stronger foot is the right. He attacks space well and has the technical ability and individual solutions to play against defensive blocks.”

Salah made 28 appearances for Ghazl El Mahalla last season, scoring four goals and providing three assists. He is currently with the Egypt under-20 side, managed by Wael Reyad, as they prepare for the North Africa qualifiers for the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.

Khattab was dismissed by Ghazl El Mahalla after four matches of the new campaign. He said discussions about his departure had begun much earlier.

“Talk of my leaving among people in El Mahalla was a wish from the beginning of pre-season,” he said.

“What was strange was that I had credit from the difficult period at the end of last season. I was surprised by the reaction of the supporters, but I am satisfied with what I gave Ghazl El Mahalla.”

Khattab took charge in May, only weeks before the end of the previous season, and guided the club to safety. He said the pressure surrounding his position had become excessive before the new campaign began.

“My relationship with Ghazl El Mahalla had effectively ended before the season started. There was an abnormal level of criticism and significant pressure from the fans,” he said.

He described the club as his first major opportunity after his experience with Pharco, and said taking the job during his fourth season as a manager had involved considerable risk.

Khattab also said the club’s recruitment activity had been limited. “The supporters hoped for outstanding signings in the summer, but the board faced difficulties because Ghazl El Mahalla is the only club in the provinces outside Cairo and Alexandria, which makes signing players harder,” he said.

“Ghazl El Mahalla signed only one player during the summer transfer window.”

The club collected one point from their first four league matches, drawing with ENPPI and losing to Pyramids, Modern Sport and National Bank.

Khattab said the team had suffered bad luck and lacked support beyond the coaching staff. He also said the club had begun developing its youth sector to produce players from the area, with 14 local players involved last season.

He denied interference in his work and said he did not know Garrido was in the stands for the match against National Bank, or whether he was being considered as a possible manager.

Ghazl El Mahalla’s one-point start is their worst for several seasons and matches their record after four games in 2015-16, a campaign that ended in relegation to the second division. Their worst opening came in 2011-12, when they had no points, conceded 13 goals and scored once.

Last season, they began with four goalless draws and four points under Alaa Abdel Aal. They now sit bottom of the table with one point from four matches.