DONE DEAL - West Brom sign Egyptian defender Ali Gabr on loan
Albion have completed the loan signing of Egyptian defender Ali Gabr from Zamalek.
The 29-year-old has joined on loan until the end of the season for £438,000 but included in the deal is an option to buy him in the summer for £1.1million.
The Baggies announced the signing on Twitter with a video of Ahmed Hegazi welcoming Gabr to the club at the Palm training ground.
Hegazi, who made his loan move permanent in December, plays alongside 6ft 4in Gabr in the Egyptian national team.
The new defender, who completed his medical yesterday, will wear the number 16 shirt.
"I'm here to help the team and do my job. I'm very happy and excited to be here," he said.
Technical director Nick Hammond said: "He's a player that we first identified at the African Cup of Nations where he played alongside Ahmed.
"We've continued to follow his progress since then and saw a good opportunity to do a deal in this window.
"The structure is the same as for Ahmed - it's a well-structured deal for the club.
"Ali is strong, dominant in the air and he's got good pace as well. This is a great opportunity for him and we're delighted to have him here."
