Tottenham Hotspur are poised to confirm a loan deal with Manchester City for forward Omar Marmoush which includes an obligation to make the move permanent for £60 million next summer.
The 27-year-old Egypt international is the second player to leave the Etihad Stadium for North London in a matter of days, after Brazilian winger Savio, 22, completed an £85m switch to Spurs on Tuesday.
Marmoush's arrival is the latest signing in a summer that has seen Tottenham splash out more than £300m, with the likes of Jan Paul van Hecke (£52m from Brighton), Mateus Fernandes (£85m from West Ham) and Sandro Tonali (£100m from Newcastle). Martin Dubravka, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson all joined on free transfers.
But Robert De Zerbi's side suffered a disastrous start to the new season, which saw them hammered 3-0 at Brentford, with Robertson, Senesi, Van Hecke and Tonali all starting the game, while Fernandes came on at half-time.
They at least avoided a potential upset in the League Cup on Wednesday night when second-tier Charlton Athletic were brushed aside 5-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Savio coming off the bench to score on his debut.
“His biggest step and biggest improvement is to increase the number of goals. I think he is one of the best wingers, but the best wingers score many goals,” De Zerbi said, also setting his new signing a target of “10 or 12 goals” a season.
And now Marmoush has been added to the mix, with the player – who started his career at Egyptian club Wadi Degla – set to complete his medical and finalise the move on Monday.
Below, we take a look at what went wrong at City and why Spurs have been keen to throw him a Premier League lifeline.
Promising start at City
Marmoush moved to City for £59m in January 2025 after a prolific spell in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt that saw him score 37 goals – and supply 20 assists – in 67 appearances.
Across Europe's big five leagues, only Marmoush's countryman Mohamed Salah had a better record than his 25 goal contributions in the first half of the 2024/25 season, so expectations were high.
He opened his City account in some style when he scored a brilliant 14-minute hat-trick against Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium. “Amazing day. The feeling is crazy of course, it’s the first hat-trick of my career, so it’s a really, really nice feeling,” said Marmoush.
“He's a player that we missed," added manager Pep Guardiola. "His movement in behind, his pace ... He's a player who likes to attack the space and help us to create more."
Marmoush finished the campaign with seven goals and two assists from 16 Premier League appearances.
Second season struggles
Marmoush's first full season started badly when he picked up a knee injury that ruled him out for the whole of September, missing six matches. He was absent again mid-campaign when he was away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt.
He did not find the back of the net until January 24 and finished the season with just three goals in 21 league games after starting just 11 matches – playing fewer than 700 minutes – with City's attack built around the prolific Erling Haaland. “It's not easy because, normally, you just want one striker. [Marmoush] is a proper striker but Erling is there,” admitted Guardiola in May.
He did find some solace in both domestic cup competitions, particularly against his favourite opponents, Newcastle. Marmoush scored doubles as City beat the Magpies in the FA Cup last-16 on Tyneside and the League Cup semi-final second leg at the Etihad Stadium, both 3-1.
“He gives us a special quality,” Guardiola insisted after reaching the League Cup final, in which Marmoush was an unused substitute, as title rivals Arsenal were beaten 2-0.
He then started in the FA Cup final win over Chelsea, only to be taken off at half-time by Guardiola, while his final game in City colours saw Marmoush brought on as a second-half substitute by new manager Enzo Maresca during their 3-0 Community Shield drubbing by Arsenal in August.
A combination of injuries, Erling Haaland's untouchable status and, ultimately, a lack of trust from Guardiola meant his City career never lived up to the early promise.
Spurs come calling
It has been a miserable time in the Premier League of late for Spurs, who have suffered successive 17th-place finishes. Last season, they finished just two points above the relegation zone, with the team scoring just 48 goals in 38 games.
“Last season, we suffered too much because also the number of goals were not enough to compete for anything more than that [17th] position,” De Zerbi pointed out after the midweek win over Charlton.
It is this problem that the Italian will be hoping Marmoush can solve.
Striker Dominic Solanke, who was also on target against Charlton, has endured an injury-ravaged spell since moving to Spurs in the summer of 2024, with the 28-year-old managing just 11 Premier League starts last season, scoring three goals.
Brazilian forward Richarlison, who scored 12 goals last season across all competitions and started against Brentford at the weekend, is entering the final year of his contract, and De Zerbi admitted in pre-season that the 29-year-old could leave.
“I don't know,” said the Italian earlier this month about Richarlison's future. “He's unbelievable in terms of attitude and behaviour. But, in the end, we have to respect what he wants to do.”
Marmoush arrives at a time when the central striking position at Spurs is very much up for grabs, and he will likely be given the platform to succeed where he failed at City.
