Despite controversy, Wigan Athletic still got more than Hull City from one striker signing | OneFootball

Amr Zaki had loan spells in the Premier League with two clubs

The summer of 2008 proved to be a rather encouraging one for Wigan Athletic, as the club prepared for a fourth consecutive season in the Premier League.

During the transfer window that year, the Latics were able to retain the services of their key players, while also bringing in new signings to strengthen the squad available to then manager, Steve Bruce.

While some of those players such as Lee Cattermole (Middlesbrough), Daniel de Ridder and Oliver Kapo (both Birmingham City) joined from other clubs in England, others came from further afield.

One individual who made a particularly big move in order to join Wigan in that period was Amr Zaki.

Egyptian striker had a mixed time with Wigan Athletic

When he arrived at the DW Stadium on a season-long loan from Zamalek in the summer of 2008, Zaki was a relative unknown.

The striker had never previously played outside of his home country of Egypt, meaning it remained to be seen exactly what he could offer in the Premier League.

Initially, though, things did look to be extremely promising for Wigan and their new striker, with Zaki flying out of the blocks for the club.

During the first half of the 2008/09 season, the Egyptian became what felt like an almost inevitable attacking presence for the Latics.

By the turn of the year, Zaki had scored 11 goals in all competitions for the club, with only Nicolas Anelka of Chelsea and Manchester City's Robinho scoring more in the Premier League.

However, in the new year, things would begin to turn for the striker and not in a positive way.

Zaki lost his goalscoring touch, failing to score for Wigan in the second half of the campaign, and there would be controversy off the pitch as well.

In April 2009, Bruce furiously revealed that he would once again be forced to fine Zaki for returning late from international duty with Egypt.

The then Latics manager claimed he had "never worked with someone as unprofessional" and that the striker had been "fined considerably more than the average person in Britain earns in a year".

It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that Wigan did not look to make Zaki's stay at the club permanent once his loan deal expired.

Despite all of those issues though, the striker did still end the campaign as the club's top scorer, with his goals earning the Latics nine points.

They finished the season 11th in the table, 11 points clear of the relegation zone, highlighting the importance those strikes from the loan forward had.

As a result, there is an argument that in spite of his issues, Wigan did at least get more from the Egyptian striker than he offered during his second spell in the Premier League.

Amr Zaki flopped at Hull City

After leaving the Latics in the summer of 2009, Zaki would return to the Premier League in January 2010, when he signed on loan for Hull City until the end of the season.

At the time of the striker's arrival, the Tigers sat 18th in the top-flight standings, with goal difference keeping them in the relegation zone.

They will, therefore, have been hoping for the Egyptian to replicate the form he showed at the start of his time with Wigan to fire them to safety.

But that simply did not happen, with Zaki failing to make any sort of an impact on Humberside.

Instead, the striker would make just six appearances for Hull - only two of which were as a starter - while failing to score or provide an assist in that time.

As a result, despite the fact he had only joined in January, his loan spell at the KCOM Stadium was terminated early in April 2010.

Zaki had, therefore, left the club even before the Tigers' relegation from the Premier League was confirmed in early May 2010 after a 2-2 draw, ironically against Wigan Athletic.

Indeed, his name will likely only raise unhappy memories for the MKM Stadium faithful.

So while Latics fans may have their reservations about his professionalism, they can at least reflect on a player that produced the goods on the pitch.