Omar Marmoush did not play for Eintracht Frankfurt in their 2-0 home win over Borussia Dortmund, as he was preparing for his transfer to Premier League giants Manchester City, who are at risk of not finishing in the top four after winning each of the last four league titles.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the total package for Marmoush will amount to 80 million euros, as Manchester City, as expected, paid premium dollar to beat out the likes of Liverpool to the Egyptian star forward.
Let’s grade the deal from a Manchester City perspective.
Fee
An 80 million euro transfer fee is reasonable for Marmoush, as he is 25-year-old attacking player in the middle of the best season of his career. He’s leaving a team that has Champions League football on the line and has won the Europa League in the last few years, so Manchester City were going to have to pay a lot of money in order to sign him.
Plus, everyone knows Man City need a secondary attacking option to help Erling Haaland out, so it’s not like they had much leverage of their own in transfer negotiations with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Given Marmoush is worth 60 million euros to Transfermarkt at baseline and that site is notorious for underestimating the value of top attacking players and breakout stars, Man City didn’t get a bad deal out of this, especially when you consider the circumstances. But 80 million euros is a lot of money, too.
Grade: C
Quality
Omar Marmoush has been the best player in the Bundesliga this season, which is saying something since Bayern Munich literally have two of the best players in the world in Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala and are the league leaders.
But the numbers don’t lie. Marmoush has scored 15 goals and 9 assists this season in 17 games, which means he’s been as good as any player in the world this season, including countryman Mohamed Salah.
Beyond that, he is averaging around 6 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game, showing that he does more than just finish moves off. Marmoush starts them and has taken over several games on his lonesome, including a 2-2 draw with Bayern, and he’s not afraid to do the dirty work before the goals are created.
This is by far Marmoush’s best season, but he’s had success before 2024/25. Marmoush had 18 goal contributions in Frankfurt last season and was a promising Bundesliga player for both Stuttgart and even Wolfsburg, despite being less consistent.
Grade: A
Fit
Manchester City will likely utilize Marmoush as a secondary striker playing on the left wing, which can enable Man City to be more devastating on counterattacks and add another clinical threat and wide creator to offer Haaland significantly more help.
Marmoush is a strong fit for Manchester City, because he gives the team a dynamic profile who can score goals from wide positions, which isn’t really something they’ve had since Raheem Sterling was in his prime.
Grade: A
Potential
Although Marmoush isn’t a “young player” by conventional classifications at the age of 25, he is still relatively young and just entering his prime. Because he hasn’t been a sure-fire starter in the Bundesliga since joining Frankfurt last season, he has more potential than most 25-year-old forwards.
Marmoush is still improving and getting more experience as the focal point of an attack, even if he’s had years of experience as a role player in a top league. He’s not going to get a whole lot better than this, but there is still room for him to grow. At 25, he can have some resale value to Man City
Grade: B
Overall
The Omar Marmoush transfer isn’t a cheap one for Manchester City, but it is a potentially game-changing one. Marmoush gives Man City a forward who can score goals, create chances, and beat defenders one-on-one.
At 25, he is entering his prime and is a borderline world-class striker with versatility and the potential to improve as a scorer and even provider. The 80 million euro transfer fee is appropriate, and this has to be seen as a strong move by Pep Guardiola and Co.
Grade: B+
