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.
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.
It should not come as a surprise that City are targeting a player who could either lead the attack or supplement Haalandand, if this season is anything to go by, Omar Marmoush is the standout candidate for both roles. The 25-year-old has scored 18 times and provided 11 assists for Eintracht Frankfurt, numbers bettered by only one player in Europe’s top five leagues: his Egypt teammate Mohamed Salah, who has 21 goals and 17 assists.
Understandably, Eintracht are playing hardball over their prized asset. They are third in the Bundesliga table and, with just three points separating third from ninth, they will not want to lose Marmoush midway through the campaign and derail their pursuit of a Champions League place. He has been in outstanding form in the league, scoring 13 goals in 15 appearances – only Harry Kane, with 14, has scored more.
City could do with some of that kind of impact. They have become very reliant on Haaland and have been fortunate that he has, until now, avoided injury. He has played all but six minutes for City in the Premier League this season, scoring 44% of their goals. Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Jérémy Doku, Savinho and Jack Grealish have scored just seven league goals between them whereas Marmoush has an end product to his game that City’s current crop of wingers do not; he has taken more shots than any other player in the Bundesliga this season (64).
Marmoush would complement Haaland if picked together or provide an alternative when things aren’t going the big man’s way. Haaland’s best work comes inside the 18-yard box, whereas Marmoush is able to weave his way through tight situations – he has completed the third most dribbles (39) in the Bundesliga this season. His close control would be a real asset in a City side that faces a lot of low blocks and resolute backlines. And his pass success rate of 78.5% will also appeal to Guardiola.
It seems that £50m may be enough to lure Marmoush away from Frankfurt and City should pay it. The Egyptian could be the ideal addition to a side that has lacked a versatile forward since Alvarez’s move to Atlético over the summer. A late title surge is probably out of the question, but there is still the FA Cup and Champions League to compete for in the second half of the season. Marmoush’s signing would help City in their push to add more silverware to their trophy cabinet.