Shady Hussein: El Mahalla complete free transfer for Egypt centre-forward from Zed FC

El Mahalla have completed the signing of Egyptian centre-forward Shady Hussein from league rivals Zed FC on a free transfer, in a deal that sees the 33-year-old move within the Egyptian Premier League. The move is confirmed as a permanent transfer, with Hussein joining his new club on 2026-07-01. His contract with El Mahalla is currently recorded as running until an unspecified future date, with no expiry listed.

Hussein, valued at €200k at the time of the switch, arrives as an experienced attacking option for El Mahalla and is immediately registered as part of their Premier League squad. The transfer involves no fee, indicating his contract with Zed FC had either expired or been terminated, allowing El Mahalla to secure his services without a transfer payment.

The deal keeps Hussein in the Egyptian Premier League, with both Zed FC and El Mahalla competing in the country’s top flight. Official data lists his nationality as Egyptian, and he has been associated at national-team level with Ghazl El Mahalla, underlining his strong ties to the club and the city. Despite this, his move is still framed as a significant step within the domestic game, as he shifts from one top-tier side to another with clear ambitions to play a central role.

Standing 1.85m tall and operating primarily as a centre-forward, Hussein is described positionally as an “Attack – Centre-Forward” with a preference for his right foot, offering El Mahalla a traditional focal point in the final third. Born in Cairo, he brings both physical presence and extensive domestic experience, having most recently represented Zed FC in the Egyptian Premier League before the confirmed transfer.

While his market value sits at €200k, El Mahalla have managed to add him to their squad without a transfer fee, giving them a cost-effective reinforcement in attack. From a contractual perspective, his profile shows no previous end date at Zed FC and no stated expiry at El Mahalla, leaving open the possibility that future updates could clarify the full length of his stay or any later shift to free-agent status.

There are no detailed seasonal statistics, match-by-match breakdowns, or specific recent performances recorded in the provided data, and no previous clubs beyond Zed FC and El Mahalla are listed. Likewise, there is no information on his appearance or goal tallies this season, nor any record of particular fixtures or scorelines in which he featured. Internationally, outside his national-team designation with Ghazl El Mahalla, no additional caps or foreign leagues are documented.

Even without those extra details, the confirmed move marks a notable moment in Hussein’s career. At 33, he enters what could be one of his last major contracts in top-flight football, and El Mahalla will hope his experience and profile as a centre-forward translate into immediate impact in the Egyptian Premier League. How long the partnership lasts and whether it eventually leads to a free-agent departure remain open questions, but for now Hussein’s future is firmly tied to El Mahalla following his free transfer from Zed FC.