There has been no official confirmation of Omar Marmoush\u2019s January transfer to Manchester City, but the Egyptian\u2019s actions after Eintracht Frankfurt\u2019s last Bundesliga match essentially was one. Left out of the team for the 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, Marmoush made a point of thanking the home fans for their support at full time.<\/p>\n
City are expected to complete a deal worth \u20ac80m for one of the Bundesliga\u2019s brightest stars. Only Harry Kane has scored more goals in the German top flight this season than Marmoush who attracted attention from across Europe before deciding to join Pep Guardiola\u2019s team in a big money transfer.<\/p>\n
Marmoush\u2019s arrival at the Etihad Stadium will reignite discussion over Manchester City\u2019s decision to let Julian Alvarez leave the club last summer. Marmoush will fill the void left by the Argentine who proved an extremely useful figure in Guardiola\u2019s forward line even if he was never a nailed on starter.<\/p>\n
Regret over Alvarez\u2019s sale has deepened as the Argentine has flourished at Atletico Madrid where he is leading the line for Diego Simeone\u2019s title-chasing team. City certainly could have used Alvarez as an attacking option when they suffered an unprecedented run of just one win in 13 games before Christmas.<\/p>\n
As a versatile and mobile attacker, Marmoush has plenty to offer Manchester City. He is capable of playing on either wing, but the most intriguing tactical possibility concerns Marmoush operating as a secondary forward as part of a front two. He could help City get even more out of Erling Haaland.<\/p>\n
Last week, Haaland put pen to paper on a nine-and-a-half-year contract that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until the age of 34. This reflects the Norwegian\u2019s importance to Manchester City, but also the relative lack of centre forwards in his mould. If City were to let Haaland leave, who would they replace him with?<\/p>\n
As a finisher, there is nobody better in world football right now than Haaland. His record speaks for itself having scored 112 goals in 127 games for Manchester City. And yet Haaland has faced criticism this season. When City have struggled, the 24-year-old has often found himself isolated at the top of the pitch. It\u2019s not uncommon for him to be almost anonymous.<\/p>\n
The paradox of Haaland for Manchester City is that in many ways he makes them a poorer team as a whole. The 24-year-old offers little in possession and isn\u2019t always the most coordinated in terms of his pressing from the front. Sometimes, City essentially have to play matches with only 10 players such is Haaland\u2019s isolation.<\/p>\n
With Marmoush filling the space around Haaland, the Norwegian centre forward could be tethered more closely to the rest of the team. This is a role Alvarez performed in his final season at Manchester City, often playing in a free position that allowed him the freedom to link up with Haaland in the final third.<\/p>\n
Manchester City are at the start of their biggest rebuild of the Guardiola era. Veterans like Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gundogan could leave the club next summer (or sooner in Walker\u2019s case) with the Etihad Stadium outfit looking to have a younger squad for the start of next season.<\/p>\n
At 25, Marmoush could make an immediate impact for City who need a different attacking dimension. Much has been made of their defensive decline this season with a lack of physicality in midfield also highlighted, but Marmoush\u2019s signing suggests Guardiola recognises his attack requires improvement too. Haaland could be one of the biggest beneficiaries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There has been no official confirmation of Omar Marmoush\u2019s January transfer to Manchester City, but the Egyptian\u2019s actions after Eintracht Frankfurt\u2019s last Bundesliga match essentially was one. Left out of the team for the 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, Marmoush made a point of thanking the home fans for their support at full time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":54847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[272],"class_list":["post-57056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport","tag-featurehome"],"yoast_head":"\n