Former Manchester United defender Steve Bruce replaced Hutchings. Bruce had just resigned as Birmingham City manager, and signed a £2m-a-year deal to try to keep Wigan in the Premier League. Wigan had to pay a reported £3 million in compensation to Birmingham for Bruce's services. His appointment saw Wigan end their losing streak, but consistency evaded the Latics, although Bruce did soon achieve something neither Jewell nor Hutchings had managed previously – a 1–1 draw at Anfield against Liverpool; the first time Wigan had taken points off one of the so-called 'Big Four' Premier League clubs. Bruce eventually oversaw a comparatively comfortable end to the season for Wigan, who finished 14th in the final table with 40 points – three places and two points higher than their finish the previous season.
In the summer of 2008, the team's kits were altered for the new season in part due to the club signing a new contract with Champion Sportswear. In Bruce's first pre-season with the club and his overhaul of the playing squad continued. The two biggest deals saw Lee Cattermole sign from Middlesbrough for £3.5 million, and highly-rated Egyptian striker Amr Zaki sign on an initial one-year loan. Zaki had scored 10 Premier League goals by February 2009, as Wigan reached seventh place in the table with 34 points from 25 games and looked likely to remain in the Premier League for a fifth successive season.
January saw the departure of two key first team members, Wilson Palacios and Emile Heskey, to Tottenham and Aston Villa respectively. Despite these massive changes, Wigan finished the season with 45 points in 11th place, their second best finish ever in the Premier League. On 3 June 2009, Steve Bruce left Wigan Athletic (for the second time) to take over the vacant manager position at Sunderland.July saw the departure of another key first team member Antonio Valencia to Manchester United. Before the 2009–10 season got underway Wigan saw the departure of Lee Cattermole. Cattermole signed for Sunderland, rejoining Steve Bruce in the process.
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