CAIRO: Zamalek refused to take an opportunity to sign Middlesbrough midfielder Mohamed Shawky in the close season, the club s chairman Mamdouh Abbas said on Wednesday.
[English Championship side] Middlesbrough offered us Shawky, but we do not really need him, Abbas told Egyptian Radio.
He is a good player but we have several promising midfielders whom I believe will be integral members of Zamalek squad soon.
Shawky said on Tuesday he intended to continue his European adventure after falling out of favor with Boro coach Gareth Southgate.
He also revealed that he would only play for his former club Ahly, Zamalek s arch-rivals, if he decided to return to Egypt.
Zamalek recruited a prominent holding midfielder in Hassan Mostafa this summer.
Their squad also boasts youngsters Ahmed Al-Merghani and Ibrahim Salah who are tipped for a promising future.
