There’s a chance that when Manchester City host Chelsea on Saturday, a record signing could debut in forward Omar Marmoush. The Egyptian international has arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt as the latest glittering export from the Bundesliga side. In the midst of a season where he has scored 20 goals and assisted 14 more in 26 appearances in all competitions, he’ll be expected to contribute quickly for City as shown by the $75 million that was splashed out on him, good for the fourth most expensive transfer in City history.
Looking at the players around him in City’s top 10 transfer fees, there is a mix of good company, including Jack Grealish, Josko Gvardiol, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Rodri, Riyad Mahrez, Joao Cancelo, Aymeric Laporte, and Raheem Sterling. When City identify a high-priced target, its global scouting department rarely misses, but there is also a bit of caution that comes with Frankfurt selling forwards.
Manchester City and Chelsea are fighting for their futures as they battle for Champions League qualification
Chuck Booth
Over the years, they’ve become a forward factory with names such as Sebastian Haller, Luka Jovic, Andre Silva, and Randal Kolo-Muani departing for big fees, but a common theme has been that all of these forwards struggled in the season after departing the Bundesliga. Marmoush will also have the additional issue of being a January transfer, arriving midseason when it’s harder to integrate and settle with a new team. Granted, most transfers also aren’t supported by world class players like Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden, but even when Frankfurt transfers have found themselves in optimal situations, they’ve still struggled.
One example of this is Jovic. He broke out as a young striker scoring 27 goals and assisting seven more in all competitions during the 2018-19 season earning himself a move to Real Madrid. Since that move, he hasn’t registered more than 15 goal contributions in a season for any team, including a loan back to Frankfurt before moving to Fiorentina and now Milan. Kolo Muani is already on the move from Paris Saint-Germain to Juventus after less than two seasons in the French capital but he has experienced similar struggles after making the jump.
Haller is one of the more successful Frankfurt striker exports, but even his first move after leaving the Bundesliga club was a struggle. At West Ham United he scored a total of 14 goals across two seasons and almost equaled that in a half season with Ajax before making a move to Borussia Dortmund. Silva moved within the Bundesliga to RB Leipzig and experienced an extreme drop off going from 28 goals in his last season for Frankfurt to only 11 for Leipzig and hasn’t broken double digit league goals in a season since.
While City can’t worry about this history when they’re trying to salvage their season, it also can’t be ignored. Marmoush has been a player who can make things happen off the dribble and isn’t afraid to shoot from anywhere, which can fit well in City’s attack which has been crying out for a replacement for Julian Alvarez since his departure to Atletico Madrid. This season may be too early to judge the move but with the fee attached comes pressure for the Egyptian. Only time will tell if he goes more in the direction of Haller or becomes the latest Frankfurt striker to struggle when the lights get brighter.
