Omar Marmoush has reportedly become a target for Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window. The Manchester City forward has been linked with a switch to Spurs, though the club has just days remaining to complete a potential deal before the deadline.
The 26-year-old was brought in by Pep Guardiola for £59million last January after an impressive stint at Eintracht Frankfurt, netting 37 goals in 67 appearances. Stepping into the gap left by Julian Alvarez's departure months earlier, Marmoush made an instant impression upon his arrival. The Egypt international ended last season with seven goals in 16 league outings and looked set for a prominent role this term. However, he had to wait until last weekend's clash with Wolves for his first league goal of the campaign and has faced speculation over his future.
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It marked just Marmoush's third league start after recovering from a knee problem and also featuring for his country at the Africa Cup of Nations. City's recent signing of Antoine Semenyo has added to speculation that Marmoush might depart, with Spurs among various clubs reportedly interested in a £26million transfer. Despite his sluggish start to the season, Marmoush has earned praise from the likes of Haaland and Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner during his career.
Erling Haaland's 'special' verdict
Just days after joining City, Marmoush featured in a 3-1 triumph over Chelsea. Despite failing to find the net, Erling Haaland was immediately impressed by his new teammate.
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"I think especially in the first half you can see he has something special," Haaland said after Marmoush's debut. "There's a reason City brought him because he has something special.
"He got straight into the team and It's about getting to know him as soon as possible because there are so many important games coming. It's about giving him confidence and he's going to be a fantastic player for us."
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Haaland continued: "He had an amazing first half of the season for Eintracht Frankfurt and hopefully, he's going to have the same season with us now for the second half of the season."
Oliver Glasner bond
Marmoush first encountered Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner during his early days as a striker at Wolfsburg. He made his debut in 2020, appearing 10 times under the current Palace boss, before being sent on loan to St Pauli and Stuttgart.
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While his game needed improving, Glasner was quickly convinced Marmoush had potential. Despite their brief time at Wolfsburg, the duo maintained contact and Glasner praised Marmoush's character and footballing ability last year.
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"He has all the abilities to become one of the top strikers in the world," Glasner said before facing City last season "We could see from day one, when he trained with us, because he has the skills.
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"What I also loved was, at that time, he was in Germany for two and a half years and he spoke German perfectly. This is quite unusual. You could see he's a great guy, he has all the skills.
"It's in the football career, sometimes it's not a straight direction to the top. I think he was on loan at FC St Pauli, in VfB Stuttgart, performing for Wolfsburg and then the outstanding season for Frankfurt. Immediately he showed at Manchester City the kind of striker he is, so I'm really pleased for him, but not tomorrow!"