Omar Marmoush’s stunning form in the opening months of the 2024/25 season saw him linked with clubs including Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea. But it was Manchester City who signed him for £59m in the January transfer window, after the Egyptian forward had scored 20 goals in 26 games for Eintracht Frankfurt. That eclipsed his previous season’s-best tally – the 17 he scored in 41 games of the 2023/24 campaign. At the age of 25, it was clear Marmoush had taken his game to the next level.
Born in Cairo in 1999, he began his career with Wadi Degla in the Egyptian Premier League. Wolfsburg took note of his talent and brought him to Germany in 2017, where he spent three years learning his trade in the reserves. After making his first-team debut in May 2020, loan spells followed – first at St Pauli in Germany’s second tier, and then with Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.
Marmoush established himself in Wolfsburg’s first team in the 2022/23 season, before joining Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. There, he flourished under the management of Dino Toppmöller. An Egyptian international since winning his first cap in 2021, comparisons have inevitably been drawn with Mohamed Salah, who made steady progress himself before becoming one of the world’s best attacking players. Below, our UEFA-licensed coaches have analysed Marmoush’s game…
Technical analysis
Omar Marmoush is an explosive and versatile right-footed attacker. He has typically played as a striker, but is also able to operate in wide areas as a winger when required. Extremely direct, he uses his acceleration and speed to drive at opposition defences and create chances, for himself and his teammates.
After Matchday 14 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season, he had the most goal involvements of any player, with 13 goals and seven assists. He is an exceptionally clean ball-striker, possessing a combination of power and accuracy that makes him a threat around the box (below). This extends to set-plays; he is amassing a growing collection of free-kick goals.
Central striker
Marmoush has operated as a single centre-forward and as one of a pair. He has been most effective playing within Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Toppmöller’s 3-4-3 and 4-4-2 formations. There, he has used his sharpness and speed – along with intelligent movements and reactive instincts – to pose a threat in a variety of attacking situations.
The image below shows an example of his movement in the box. Marmoush initially made a short, sharp movement towards the near post to draw the defender away from the space he intended to attack. He then accelerated in the opposite direction, as shown below, once the defender’s attention was drawn by the ball player (Hugo Larsson). This meant he could exploit the space created to score.
Marmoush is also a poacher inside the box. He adjusts his body well to take difficult chances that often leave him unbalanced when making contact with the ball. In these scenarios, he uses exceptional agility and balance to take opportunities first time. Alternatively, he can use multiple touches and body feints to create a line of sight to finish around and away from defenders.
In central positions, Marmoush poses a significant threat in behind with his pace. However, he is also capable of dropping in to receive. There, he can manipulate possession in tight spaces, between the opposition’s defensive and midfield lines. This is particularly useful against compact low-block defences.
Marmoush is particularly adept at receiving on his back foot, rolling away from pressure and using his body as a barrier to protect the ball as he turns. He can also receive on his front foot, using unpredictable movements with both his body and the ball to escape defenders. Upon receiving in the final third, he uses close control and dribbling to evade pressure. He will frequently drop a shoulder to disguise his intentions and unbalance defenders, opening opportunities to dribble or slide passes through to teammates (below). This has helped Marmoush contribute both goals and assists in recent seasons, with 12 goals and five assists in the 2023/24 Bundesliga campaign.
Winger
Marmoush is also capable of playing in wide areas – most commonly as a left winger for club and country, in 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 formations. During the 2023/24 Bundesliga season, he recorded the seventh-most 1v1s and dribbles. This shows his willingness to face up defenders and use his technical and physical capabilities to progress.
One key strength is his unpredictable body movements. He will often shift his weight two or three times, before accelerating past defenders when they have become unbalanced and committed their body weight in one direction. He will also exaggerate movements to disguise his intentions, using chops and step-overs before explosively changing direction. However, he is most dangerous when able to cut inside on his right foot and open up opportunities to shoot (below). That said, he will still shift and travel on the outside when opposition defenders offer that space to him.
From these wider positions, Marmoush regularly makes out-to-in runs that allow him to use his speed and acceleration to receive in behind the opposition’s back line. With greater perception than when positioned centrally, Marmoush is able to make runs across (below) or in behind the opposition’s full-back, timing them to stay onside. His speed increases the window of time available to make these runs and receive beyond recovering defenders.
His physical abilities also ensure he is a threat in attacking transition, exploiting moments when the opposition’s rest defence is out of structure. This has been a valuable asset in games where Marmoush’s sides have had to withstand pressure and exploit counter-attacks.
Out of possession
Without the ball, Marmoush is an intense presser. His acceleration gives opposition players limited time to make decisions, forcing mistakes or pinching possession on triggers such as slow passes or loose opposition touches. His versatility ensures that he is equally effective when pressing as a lone striker or in a front two (as shown below in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 4-4-2). He can also press out to in when jumping inside as a winger, or pressing on wide passes to lock opposition full-backs against the touchline.
His start to the 2024/25 season has certainly been eye-catching. With such form came interest from Premier League clubs and his move to Manchester City. Now the pressure is there to maintain the standards he has set, not to mention opponents intent on stopping him.
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