Home shirt as worn by the Latics when they finished 11th in the Premier League under Steve Bruce. The side signed exciting Egyptian striker Amr Zaki on loan from Zamalek, who was branded as the "Bulldozer" and by the press as the "Egyptian Gladiator". Zaki hit the ground running with a goal on his debut against West Ham, a brace against Hull City and Liverpool, making him at one point in the season, the third-highest goalscorer. He was compared to Alan Shearer by Wigan's chairman, Dave Whelan, and finished his first season with 11 goals in all competitions. However, in April 2009, he failed to return from international duty, causing Bruce to fine him a considerable amount. Due to poor behaviour, Wigan did not make his deal permanent, and from then onwards, his career fell into a downward spiral. The promising striker struggled for game time and, most importantly, goals.