Omar Marmoush: Tottenham's New Striker with a Versatile Attack

Omar Marmoush arrives at Tottenham as anything but a mystery. His numbers, his story, and his scars are already written across three countries and two major leagues.

From Frankfurt flyer to £59m City signing

When Eintracht Frankfurt picked him up for nothing from Wolfsburg in May 2023, few imagined how quickly his value would explode. One prolific season later, the picture had completely changed.

He struck 17 goals in all competitions in that first campaign, then ripped into the 2024-2025 season at a different speed. In the Bundesliga alone, he hit 15 goals from 8.9 expected goals, plus 9 assists in just 17 league games. By the time he left Germany, his tally stood at 20 goals and 13 assists in 26 matches across all competitions.

That kind of production forces big clubs to pay attention. Manchester City did more than that. They paid £59 million in January 2025 to bring him to the Etihad.

Set pieces added another layer to the threat. Marmoush became the first player in Europe’s top five leagues since Lionel Messi in 2019 to score directly from a free-kick in three consecutive official matches. Not just a runner. Not just a finisher. A technician, too.

A blistering start in Manchester – then Wembley

His first months in Manchester hinted at a long-term star. Marmoush scored the first hat-trick of his career against Newcastle, then stepped up in the FA Cup quarter-final, hitting the winner against Bournemouth. He faced Bournemouth again in the league and unleashed a long-range strike that ended up being voted goal of the season.

The trajectory looked clear. Then Wembley intervened.

In the 2025 FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, Erling Haaland handed him the ball for a penalty. A show of trust on the biggest domestic stage. Marmoush stepped up. Dean Henderson guessed right and saved. City lost at Wembley.

Moments like that can stick to a player. Nedum Onuoha, the former City defender, insists it should not.

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

A crowded City attack and a stalled role

Since that move, Marmoush has scored 16 goals in 62 matches for City in all competitions. Eight of those came in 36 games during the 2025-2026 season.

The Premier League picture, though, tells a harsher story. His involvement has clearly dipped. He started only eight league matches and logged around 700 minutes last season – fewer than he managed in half a campaign when he first arrived.

Three goals and three assists in the league underline the reduced impact. His expected goals stood at 3.53, almost identical to his actual tally. The issue wasn’t wasteful finishing. The issue lay elsewhere.

Onuoha points to the sheer congestion in City’s attack. Haaland locks down the pure No 9 role. The spaces around him are filled by specialist No 10s and wingers. The zones Marmoush likes to occupy are already spoken for.

That is why a move to Tottenham feels different. It feels tailored.

Built for De Zerbi’s chaos

Marmoush is, at heart, a striker. But he has never been confined to a single lane.

At Frankfurt he played as a central striker, a second striker and off the left. At City he has operated through the middle, out wide and in the pocket behind a centre-forward. Constant movement, constant redefinition.

That flexibility fits naturally with Roberto De Zerbi’s ideas. His teams thrive on forwards rotating positions, dropping into midfield to receive, then surging into the gaps behind a disorganised back line. Marmoush lives in those gaps.

Onuoha believes the Egyptian’s best version appears when he is running into space rather than coming short.

“Although he is good when he drops towards the ball, I think he is better when he plays on the shoulder of the defender,” he 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.”

The data: a different profile to Spurs’ forwards

The numbers from the 2025-2026 Premier League season back that up. According to Opta, Marmoush outperformed both Dominic Solanke and Richarlison in most attacking metrics per 90 minutes, with the exception of aerial duels.

• 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

That is the profile of a forward who doesn’t just wait in the box. He carries the ball, attacks defenders and manufactures his own shooting chances. For a Tottenham side that often faces low blocks and packed penalty areas, that directness could become a weapon.

Onuoha sees a clear 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.”

Not Solanke’s replacement – his partner?

This doesn’t have to be a straight swap. Signing Marmoush need not push Solanke out of the picture.

Marmoush’s knack for operating off another striker opens the door to a two-man frontline. Solanke can pin and batter centre-backs with his physical presence. Marmoush can drift wide, drop between the lines, then explode into the spaces created when defenders step out.

Onuoha can already visualise 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 shown he can adapt, evolve and hurt defences in different ways. The question now is simple: in a system built to unleash his runs and his chaos, how far can he push Tottenham’s attack?