Egypt hitman Zaki clinches English switch

(CNN) -- Egypt international Amr Zaki is hoping to prove himself in the English Premier League after clinching a season-long loan deal with Wigan Athletic on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old striker passed a medical after being given permission to test himself overseas by his Cairo-based club El Zamalek.

"I've come to England to score goals. That's what I do," Zaki told Wigan's Web site.

"I want to show the manager and the fans of Wigan that they have made a good choice and now I am totally focused on trying to get in the squad and prove myself here."

Zaki, who joins compatriot Mido of Middlesbrough in the Premier League, has scored 27 goals in 48 appearances for his country. He helped Egypt win the African Nations Cup in 2006 and again this year.

Those scoring statistics made him the world's leading striker according to ruling body FIFA's rankings.

Zaki's previous foray into European football ended in miserable failure after failing to once play for Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow following a $2 million move in 2006, but Wigan manager Steve Bruce said the player could make a big impact at the JJB Stadium.

"It's been a real tough deal to push through but I'm delighted that Amr's finally a Wigan player," Bruce said. "Everything has been sorted, and now he can just get on with the job at hand.

"Anyone with a one-in-two strike-rate or better over 50-odd international games knows where the back of the net is. Although he hasn't played in the Premier League, I am convinced, having seen him personally on several occasions, that this boy can do the business.

"I think our supporters will love him because he's a passionate boy who plays with his heart on his sleeve. He is all-action, physically powerful, great in the air, with two great feet and a good turn of pace."

Zaki, recently named Egyptian player of the year, scored 22 goals in 54 appearances for El Zamalek.

He has become Bruce's third signing of the summer, following the arrival of midfielders Olivier Kapo and Daniel de Ridder from the manager's former club Birmingham City.

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