Omar Marmoush: From Frankfurt Star to Tottenham's Tactical Fit

Omar Marmoush arrives at Tottenham not as a gamble, but as a forward whose numbers and story demand attention.

He has already forced his way into the elite conversation once.

From Frankfurt breakout to City’s crowded stage

Marmoush walked into Eintracht Frankfurt on a free from Wolfsburg in May 2023 and left as one of the Bundesliga’s most dangerous forwards. Seventeen goals in his first season across all competitions set the tone.

The next campaign, he exploded.

By the halfway point of 2024-2025, the Egyptian had 15 league goals from 8.9 expected goals and 9 assists in just 17 Bundesliga matches. Twenty goals and 13 assists in 26 games in all competitions by the time he left Germany forced the market to react. Manchester City did, wiring £59 million in January 2025.

He brought more than just open-play threat. From dead balls, he produced a streak that underlined his confidence and technique: Marmoush became the first player in Europe’s top five leagues since Lionel Messi in 2019 to score direct free-kicks in three consecutive official matches.

Highs, a brutal low, and Onuoha’s verdict

The early months at City suggested they had bought a player built for big stages. Marmoush scored the first hat-trick of his career against Newcastle, then struck the winner against Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-final. He faced Bournemouth again in the league and unleashed a long-range effort that would later be voted the club’s goal of the season.

Then came Wembley.

In the 2025 FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, Erling Haaland handed him the ball for a penalty. Marmoush stepped up. Dean Henderson saved. City lost.

It is the kind of moment that can cling to a player’s reputation. Nedum Onuoha, though, refuses to let that define him.

“When I see Marmoush, I don't remember the missed penalty, but rather I see the power he possesses in some of his runs in behind the defenders,” the former City defender told BBC.

The numbers at City back up the idea that his story there is more complex than one miss. Since arriving, Marmoush has scored 16 goals in 62 matches in all competitions. In 2025-2026 alone, he registered 8 goals in 36 appearances.

Yet his Premier League involvement clearly tailed off. He started only eight league matches and logged around 700 minutes – fewer than he managed in the half-season immediately after joining the club. Three goals and three assists in the league, from an expected goals tally of 3.53, paint a picture of a player roughly finishing to expectation but not being used as a central piece.

For Onuoha, the reason is simple: competition and profile.

City’s attack is stacked with specialists. Haaland owns the out-and-out striker role. Behind him, the side leans on pure number 10s and touchline wingers. The zones Marmoush likes to occupy have been carved up by others. That is why the move to Tottenham feels like a reset rather than a step down.

A forward built for De Zerbi’s chaos

On paper, Marmoush is a natural striker. In reality, he is far more slippery than that label suggests.

At Frankfurt, he operated as a central striker, a second striker and off the left. At City, he has been used through the middle, out wide and in the pocket behind another forward. That positional flexibility dovetails neatly with Roberto De Zerbi’s attacking blueprint.

De Zerbi wants forwards who rotate, who drop short to receive, then rip into the gaps that appear behind a disorganised back line. Marmoush fits that script. Onuoha is convinced his best version appears when he plays on the edge of the defence.

“Although he is good when he drops towards the ball, I think he is better when he plays on the shoulder of the defender,” Onuoha said. “He needs a team that consistently plays him into the spaces behind the defence and forces the opponent to run towards their own goal.”

Tottenham look like that team.

The data: a different animal to Spurs’ current options

Opta’s data from the 2025-2026 Premier League season underlines why Spurs have moved. Per 90 minutes, Marmoush outperforms Dominic Solanke and Richarlison in most attacking metrics, with the exception of aerial duels.

The Egyptian’s output per 90 is striking:

• 0.77 goals and assists
• 3.86 shots
• 1.55 chances created
• 5.67 progressive carries
• 1.29 successful dribbles
• 6.82 touches inside the penalty area
• 11.46 runs in behind the defence

Those numbers sketch a profile Tottenham do not currently have. Marmoush carries the ball at opponents. He takes defenders on. He manufactures his own shooting positions rather than simply finishing moves others create. Against deep blocks, that kind of self-starter can be the difference between frustration and a breakthrough.

Onuoha sees a clear tactical fit.

“Sometimes it's just about how well a player fits the team,” he said. “Marmoush's ability to run in behind the defence and link up play could be very important for Tottenham. They won't hesitate to play balls in behind the defence and force the opponent to retreat.”

Solanke, not a casualty but a partner?

The obvious question is what this means for Solanke. The answer might be: something new, not something lost.

Signing Marmoush does not have to push Solanke aside. In fact, the Egyptian’s knack for playing off another striker opens the door for a genuine front pairing.

Solanke brings the frame and the fight. He can pin centre-backs, win duels, occupy both defenders at once. Marmoush, by contrast, prefers to drift – pulling wide, dropping between the lines, then surging into the gaps created when opponents step out to press.

Onuoha can already picture it.

“Solanke is different from Marmoush, as he has a greater physical presence,” he said. “I can imagine the goalkeeper playing a low ball to Solanke, with Marmoush coming from behind him to receive it, and that becomes the start of the attack.

“Each of them can complement the other. Playing with two strikers could bring out more of Marmoush's strengths.”

From Frankfurt to Manchester to north London, Marmoush has kept forcing his way into bigger conversations. At Tottenham, with a coach who thrives on movement and chaos, he now has the stage – and the system – to decide how loud his next act will be.