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Amr Zaki may still be in Egypt, but it won't be long
before he's out signing a contract in Europe. The Guardian
wrote a scouting report on the Egyptian striker which
EP thinks is worth a look at.
Read also:
David Pleat is a is big name in England, as he was
manager of Tottenham and Portsmouth in the past, and
is now a writer and co-commentator for national television.
His scouting report is always on the back page of The
Guardian's sport booklet every week and is pretty difficult
to miss.
Pleat's 'Scouting Report' in full:
The current Egyptian football icon Mido blotted his
copybook with an amazing show of egotism in the African
Nations Cup semi-final, but a new star is emerging.
Amr Zaki caught my eye while I was in Cairo covering
the tournament and he looks to me to have all the qualities
to do a good job next season for a club at the lower
end of the Premiership.
Zaki is an adaptable striker who can play behind a front
two or as a main forward, and he looks to have good
energy, attitude, strength and technical ability. He
can play short and long passes, gets into the six-yard
box effectively and scored with a towering header to
take Egypt into the final.
The grapevine says that he will move from his current
club ENPPI to one of his country's two big clubs, Zamalek
or Al Ahly. But I believe if he can overcome cultural
differences he should make for Europe. At the moment
he is the leading scorer in Egypt with eight goals from
11 appearances.
He looks to have the determination that would be needed
in the Premiership. I like his willingness to seek the
ball at all times, and after receiving a heavy tackle
from a powerful DR Congo defender in the quarter-final
he sprung straight to his feet and gave a contemptuous
shrug.
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It was a pass he hit in that game for Hassan Hossam to score
that really made me sit up. With the outside of his right
foot he struck a stunning lofted 50-yard pass from deep midfield.
As it dropped teasingly over the giant Congo left-back, Hossam
got across his marker and scored with a rocket of a shot high
into the net. It was a Hoddle-esque ball from Zaki, a gift-wrapped
invitation to score and put Egypt 2-0 ahead and on their way
to a semi-final.
Zaki was deployed in the hole against Congo and showed he
is an intelligent player. He drifted towards either flank
and dropped deep to collect passes from his midfield. He then
used the ball with economy, playing passes at a pace which
meant that his team-mates could receive comfortably to make
the next pass, and his movement was bright.
If a player is lazy in that position he becomes a liability
to his team. He has to work and move to give a problem and
unbalance the opposition midfield. Zaki did that, often running
his marker away before checking back to receive the ball.
In the semi-final his introduction in place of Mido proved
crucial, his immediate contribution being a header that took
the team into the final after he arrived in the six-yard box
with perfect timing. He started the final up front in Mido's
absence and his determination and sturdy shielding of the
ball gave the excellent Ivory Coast defence plenty to think
about.
In the 87th minute he thought he had won the game for Egypt
with a tap-in but the goal was disallowed, and twice before
that he was poaching in the six-yard box, inches away from
reaching crosses. He is brave and showed a cool temperament
by scoring his penalty in the shoot-out.
Age 22
Club ENNPI (Egyptian Oil Company)
Position Forward
Height 5ft 9in
Weight 11st 8lb
Awareness 8/10
Skill 7½/10
Heading 8/10
Team responsibility 7½/10
Temperament 7/10
Speed 7/10
Pleat's valuation Uncertain, but a good bet at £1m
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