Why Manchester City should go big to sign Omar Marmoush
Share:
The versatile Egyptian forward has scored 18 goals and laid on 11 assists for Eintracht Frankfurt this season. By Ben McAleer for WhoScored. Manchester City fans are breathing a sigh of relief after back-to-back league wins. A run of one victory and nine defeats in 13 games was cause for concern for the defending champions, but they ended 2024 with a win at Leicester and kicked off 2025 with a home victory over West Ham. New year, new City.
![[Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush playing for Egypt during the Africa Cup of Nations.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/5ae905fd00094eb1e0877276210e3dc26425ef3c/0_310_4927_2957/master/4927.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Even in those victories, City do not look like the team they were. Leicester, who have lost their last five games, enjoyed a greater share of possession and West Ham, though they ended up losing 4-1, had 17 shots to City’s 10. If Pep Guardiola has the chance to bolster his squad in January, he should take it.
Injuries have hampered City this season, their lack of summer investment coming back to haunt them. The youthful Savinho and ageing Ilkay Gündogan were the only arrivals, which seemed foolhardy at the time given the squad already looked short. In hindsight, it was a disaster.
City have made it their new year’s resolution to go big in January and, unsurprisingly, have been linked with a host of new names: Abdukodir Khusanov of Lens and Vitor Reis of Palmeiras in defence, Éderson of Atalanta and Martín Zubimendi of Real Sociedad in midfield. And, while they did add to their attack by signing Savinho from Girona for £30m, they still need another body in the final third.
The departure of Julián Alvarez has left City short of options in attack. The Argentinian added versatility to their frontline; he could deputise for Erling Haaland in the No9 role or operate from a deeper position. Given Kevin De Bruyne’s injury issues and Phil Foden’s significant drop in form, they must also address their lack of goals.
