Omar Marmoush: Why Man Utd and Europe’s elite are queuing up to sign Egypt’s ‘new Mohamed Salah’ who is outscoring Harry Kane in the Bundesliga

If there’s one thing that Manchester United love doing nowadays, it’s chucking millions of pounds into the void in exchange for players who don’t find the back of the net enough. Over the last two summers alone, they’ve thrown enormous sums at Atalanta for Rasmus Hojlund and Bologna for Joshua Zirkzee, but are yet to reap reward from such expenditure.

The modern history of football keeps telling us that the most expensive buys up front aren’t consistently the most successful. There’s better value in the market to be found elsewhere, guys bubbling under the radar ready to make a breakthrough in a major way.

That brings us to the world’s newest sensation, Omar Marmoush of Eintracht Frankfurt. The Egypt international has been a well-respected Bundesliga attacker for a while now, but his 2024 form has seen him enter a different conversation altogether.

United aren’t the only side linked with a move for Marmoush, as Liverpool have long been reported as an alternative destination, either as a replacement to or to be a partner for countryman Mohamed Salah, and Arsenal are also in the mix. Wherever he does wind up next, Marmoush will instantly become a star attraction.

Eintracht are said to value Marmoush at a snip €30 million (£25m/$32.9m). In today’s market, you could still probably find a way to flip him for profit if a move didn’t work out as intended.

But there’s little reason to think Marmoush won’t be a success over the next few seasons, particularly with his peak years still ahead of him. GOAL has done some digging into the forward’s recent rise.

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  Where it all began

  Born in Cairo on February 7, 1999, Marmoush joined local side Wadi Degla as a youngster. A relatively modest club on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital, he was able to quietly go about his development, despite the team’s minor affiliation with Arsenal threatening to expose his budding promise. Such was his talent that he played an age-group up for much of his youth career.

  At the age of 18, Marmoush was handed his senior debut for Wadi Degla in an Egyptian Premier League match with Al Ittihad Alexandria in July 2016, coming off the bench to grab an assist in a 3-2 win. He played and matured under Egypt legend Mido, who took an immediate shine to the youngster and afforded him more first-team opportunities.

  And that’s when the European clubs began to circle. Marmoush received offers from Borussia Dortmund and Malaga, but instead opted to join Wolfsburg in 2017, later citing star striker Mario Gomez and Freddie Ljungberg – who enjoyed a brief coaching spell at the Volkswagen Arena – as major influences on his decision.

  Not yet fully polished, Marmoush spent three years in Wolfsburg’s reserve team honing his craft before making a smattering of senior appearances. In 2020, he was sent on a season-long loan to St Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga, where a return of seven goals in 21 games signalled he was finally ready for top-flight football.

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    The big break

    Wolfsburg recognised Marmoush’s potential, but wanted him to test the Bundesliga waters elsewhere before returning to don their garish green colours. “Over the past year, Omar has come on in leaps and bounds with good performances in the U23s, and that has seen him dip his toes into the Bundesliga and with the senior squad. Now he needs to gradually get used to playing at Bundesliga level, so that he can take it to the next step,” ex-Wolfsburg director Marcel Schafer said at the time.

    Another loan, this time to Stuttgart, followed for 2021-22, though the conditions were hardly ideal for him to truly flourish – the season was spent battling relegation and a 15th-placed finish surmised the club’s struggles.

    Despite Stuttgart’s troublesome slide, injury problems and time away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Marmoush caught the eye with performances primarily from the left wing. There was a dynamism and explosiveness that made him perfect for Bundesliga football. At long last, it seemed he was ready for Wolfsburg.

    That’s why it came as a disappointment when, despite missing only one league match all season and playing largely as a centre-forward, Marmoush returned only five goals. Wolfsburg decided to cut ties and let Marmoush walk away for free at the end of his contract, with Eintracht stepping forward to afford him a fresh lease of life. And boy have they not had a single regret since…
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    How it’s going

    Marmoush is now firmly among the Bundesliga’s best forwards, no question about it. After joining Eintracht for 2023-24, he managed to match his career-best season tally of seven goals and three assists in only 14 games, and he ended the campaign with a mightily-impressive return of 16 goals and six assists in all competitions.

    Mido, still monitoring one of his favourite footballing sons from afar, took to social media to plead with his former club Tottenham to sign Marmoush, comparing this recommendation to a prior one over Salah which fell on deaf Spurs ears. Other European giants were touted with an interest, notably United and Liverpool, but he remained at Deutsche Bank Park.

    “The goals I scored and my performances during the season were not by chance,” Marmoush said in July. “I worked hard for all of this. Here at the club, you get great support and the best help to develop your talent. I have a very good feeling towards my team. It seems to me like a family, and this is the way we have to deal with our matches later.”

    Eintracht must be thanking the heavens that they were able to keep hold of Marmoush with such little fuss having started the season in incredible form. Three goal contributions, including a last-gasp equaliser, in Sunday’s 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich means he has opened the campaign with a staggering nine goals and six assists in just nine games across all competitions, while he is three goals clear of Harry Kane in the early Bundesliga scoring charts.

    There aren’t many players in Europe who are in better form than Marmoush at the moment, so what is it that makes him special?

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    Biggest strengths

    The lazy comparison is to say Marmoush plays like Salah because they share a nationality, but the two do share some similarities. It is Marmoush’s pace that is perhaps most distinguishable feature, though he does love sitting a defender or goalkeeper on their backside before firing home in a similar vein to Liverpool’s current ‘Egyptian King’. When in stride, he’s so hard to stop, as Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano will attest to having essentially been put in a spin-dryer by Marmoush during their recent battle.

    But unlike Salah, Marmoush’s quickness is a little more immediate and allows him to pose a threat on either flank as well as through the middle, while he is a little more selfless in his pursuit of wins.

    “If there is a 30 percent chance that I will score a goal and my team-mate has a better chance and is in a better position, then I will pass the ball so that we can score a goal as a team, not just Omar,” Marmoush has previously commented.

    Eintracht boss Dino Toppmoller recently said of his star attacker: “He’s responsible for producing danger up front, firing in goals and setting up others. He’s very difficult to defend due to his pace and how fast he can run in deep. He can also sneak in from close range, take a great touch and play some great passes. He’s in outstanding form at the moment, and he’s feeling comfortable. That’s the key to his success these days.”

    It should also be noted that Marmoush is an intense and aggressive presser, which is becoming the norm among football’s leading stars. He isn’t afraid to do that dirty work

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      Room for improvement

      The most valid criticism that can be levelled at Marmoush is we perhaps needs to see a lengthier body of work before decreeing he can be the saviour to the prayers of Europe’s elite clubs. His talent and ability are now obviously popping off the screen, but it wouldn’t hurt to put together another whole season of goals before taking that next step.

      As is usually the case with Bundesliga forwards, there are questions over how Marmoush would adapt to playing in a league where defences don’t play as high or as open, though this could be countered with his precise change-of-pace dribbling.

      Standing at six foot, Marmoush also doesn’t make the most of his height anywhere near as much as his speed. Very few of his goals are headers and he averages fewer than one successful aerial duel a game, which is a pretty shocking number for a centre-forward, where he has played most often this season.

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      What comes next?

      Though he has previously revealed ambitions of playing in the Premier League, Marmoush’s focus remains on his exploits at his current club. “We can achieve something big with Eintracht Frankfurt, but we must be careful and take it step by step,” he said on the eve of this spectacular run.

      But there’s no doubt that if he keeps up this hot streak, then the German club have an almighty task to try and prolong his stay. His exit, particularly at such a low asking price, feels sadly inevitable for Die Adler.

      Eintracht director of football Markus Krosche recently opened the door to a sale, stating: “For us, we don’t want to lose so many key players. I have to honestly say that no Eintracht player is unsellable, but we want to keep the team together. I talk about Marmoush after every game. But that’s a good thing. Omar gives our game an incredible amount.”

      If a move to United does transpire, then Marmoush would join a cast of quick forwards who relish playing in transition, a near-perfect stylistic match if the Red Devils can finally get their house in order. Foundations at Liverpool and Arsenal are, however, far more stable for success and should be of note to him should they firm up their interest.

      Whether the goals continue to flow at this absurd rate or not, Marmoush is a dashingly exciting player to watch in full flight. It shouldn’t take another tweet from Mido to speed up the process of beginning a new adventure in England.