MANCHESTER CITY are closing in on the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush.
The 25-year-old, who is estimated to be worth more than £60million, was forced to apologize for an apparently 'disrespectful' act against old parent club Wolfsburg.
Here, SunSport's biggest Bundesliga fan Phil Bryant tells us whether the Egyptian star is worth the money and where he will fit under Pep.
WHAT IS HIS CHARACTER?
Marmoush does not lack confidence.
The incident he is probably best known for in Germany is his Panenka penalty while on loan for Stuttgart against his parent club Wolfsburg in December 2021.
Stuttgart were leading 2-0 (Marmoush had an assist) when they were awarded a penalty.
But Marmoush tried a Panenka and hit the crossbar.
He was even booed by the Wolfsburg fans for missing the penalty against them.
They accused him of disrespecting his parent club and he was forced to apologise.
Marmoush said at the time: “I am sorry for the way I kicked the penalty, which may have given the wrong impression to the supporters.
“I tried to secure the victory for my team by shooting the penalty. I always respect the opponents, especially Wolfsburg, which I really appreciate.”
Marmoush then went back to Wolfsburg in the summer and scored against Stuttgart the following season!
WHY DOES CITY WANT HIM?
He is having the season of his life: currently with fourteen goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga and nineteen goals and nine assists in all competitions.
He scored the only goal of the match against FC St. Pauli on Saturday as City chased his signature to replace Julian Alvarez.
Marmoush defeated Harry Kane in the first six games of the season.
But the signs were there last season when he scored 12 goals and provided six assists.
And he is the latest in a string of fantastic Eintracht strikers who have made the club big money.
The sales of Luka Jovic, Andre Silva, Sebastian Haller and Randal Kolo Muani earned Frankfurt more than £100m.
But there's a caveat, as none of these players have been particularly productive at their next club!
Marmoush, 25, started out as a more wide forward, like compatriot Mohamed Salah, but now plays as a central striker for Eintracht.
He could cover Erling Haaland at the Etihad or play wide again.
And he has a rocket shot?
Yes.. he shoots on sight with the most shots in the Bundesliga this season, 71. Kane is second highest with 49.
One shot registered almost 75mph with one shot this season and he has clocked a speed of 22mph, so he is quite fast too.
Marmoush is the most fouled player in the Bundesliga this season (50 times) and has very quick feet, but does go down a bit easily.
He is 6ft tall and stronger than he looks, but he will need time to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League.
THE SALAH COMPARISONS ARE HARD TO IGNORE?
Well, he actually could have played for Canada instead of Egypt.
His parents worked in Canada for six years and qualified for citizenship.
But he has a good relationship with Salah and Marmoush has said: 'We are in contact. The contact between the Egyptian players in Europe is very good.
“We try to support each other, because we know that it is not easy to make the transition to Europe.”
During an interview with WinWin last year, Salah said: “Omar Marmoush, incredibly talented and currently an important player for his club and national team.
“But I hope he can avoid comparisons because they will continue to put pressure on him. I just want him to avoid the idea of comparisons.
“People should stop comparing him to me, saying that he is 'the new Salah' and that he will do what I did, or better yet, this does not help him; it just puts him under constant pressure.
“You can't compare him to a player who has achieved so much over the years while he is just starting out.
“Let him live and enjoy his own experience. He does something different, in his own unique way.”
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