Abd El-Zaher had a modest showing during the beginning of the 2009–10 Egyptian Premier League. That completely changed when head coach Stoycho Mladenov took control at ENPPI. Abd El-Zaher saw more regular first team football and repaid his manager faith by scoring 5 league goals by the end of that season. Mladenov then left to Bulgarian CSKA Sofia and Mokhtar Mokhtar then took over the team in the 2011-12 season. Abd El-Zaher finished that season as top scorer of the league tied with Zamalek's Shikabala. They both had 13 goals. Early in 2012, Mladenov made a request to ENPPI to move Abd El-Zaher to his club CSKA Sofia in the 2012 summer transfer window. The move was possible but ENPPI were somewhat reluctant to lose one of their top strikers. In January 2013, he moved to league rivals Al-Ahly on a four-year deal. In November 2013, Abd El-Zaher was deprived of his Champions League win bonus, suspended and put up for sale in the January transfer window for doing a Rabia sign in support of recently deposed President Mohamed Morsi after scoring a goal. On 5 December 2013, the Egyptian Football Association took sanctions a step further, announcing that Abd El-Zaher has been banned from representing Egypt for one year in addition to a 3-month local ban. He moved to Al-Ittihad Club (Tripoli) on loan from Al-Ahly in December 2013 as punishment for the Rabia sign.