I should have paid the full £7m for Amr Zaki, says Wigan boss Steve Bruce

Wigan boss Steve Bruce admits he blundered by only signing Amr Zaki on loan - and now faces a fight to keep him.

Bruce revealed it was his decision to take the Egypt striker for a season because he would not pay the £7.25million wanted by his club, El Zamalek.

But with Zaki's eight goals making him the leading scorer in the Premier League, he is being hawked to bigger clubs.

And although Bruce and chairman Dave Whelan will move quickly to try to make the move permanent, they will have to pay even more.

"I told Zamalek that if they wanted big money, he had to come and play in the Premier League. The price was too high and that was why we went down the route we did.

I was quoted a fee I wasn't prepared to pay. It's always a risk for a club like ours.

"Zamalek agreed to the deal and he's done well. The better he does the bigger the fee."

There was no escape clause in the January transfer window, said Bruce, who added: "He'll be with us for the whole of the season."

Check out Mirror.co.uk's 10 things you need to know about Amr Zaki

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