The rise of Omar Marmoush: From Eintracht Frankfurt to Manchester City

Omar Marmoush's rise to stardom has been a surprise to many. After struggling to establish himself at Wolfsburg, the Egyptian forward joined Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer in the summer of 2023. Since then, he has exploded into life, scoring and assisting at will, thrilling audiences and drawing comparisons to Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah.

Marmoush began his career at Eintracht playing as a lone, counter-attacking striker, but soon moved into a front two alongside former PSG striker Hugo Ekitike. The pair are both clever players who have enjoyed complementing each other and interpreting each other's movements, while Ekitiké's ability to drop deep, receive the ball and find a pass, allows Marmoush to stretch his legs and look to run in behind the defence.

Marmoush is fast, strong and confident bearing down on goal. But he can also drop deep and receive the ball, turn and push forward himself. He's smart enough to find pockets of space to exploit and more than willing to play a pass to get his teammates involved. In fact, when he does start to knit play together, he sparks some wonderful combinations, as he thinks and plays very fast even when in tight areas.

Marmoush's confidence has grown visibly, and the way he sets his shots up looks cleaner and more composed than before. Some credit belongs to Eintracht manager Dino Toppmöller for that, who worked closely with the Egyptian on the mental elements of calm finishing.

While €60m may seem a lot to pay to sign a player who has only got 18 months of top form under his belt, there is a pleasing variety to Marmoush's attacking skill set that suggests he will settle well under Pep Guardiola's guidance. Indeed, he's exactly the sort of attacking spark that City have looked desperately in need of this term.

Marmoush will now have to prove himself all over again, on an even bigger stage, and learn the differences between playing in the Bundesliga and the Premier League -- and between playing for Eintracht Frankfurt and Manchester City -- very quickly. Only time will tell if he can prove the solution to City's struggles this season.