Why Man City believe Omar Marmoush is the heir to Mohamed Salah's throne... and how Erling Haaland is set to benefit most from Pep Guardiola's new £63m man

Less than three hours before Wednesday’s nervy victory over Club Brugges in the Champions League, Omar Marmoush was standing on the indoor pitch at Manchester City’s training ground.

He had seen the same facilities for the first time a week earlier, gawping and smiling at what he now calls home.

He smiles a lot, Marmoush. It’s the first thing staff noticed about the £59million signing from Eintracht Frankfurt who has, over the last 11 days, shown an illuminating appreciation for this great opportunity in his career.

So, he was in the indoor dome, wearing baggy trousers, ineligible for the match against Brugges but still being put to good use.

There was a City in the Community event, a session for girls aged between six and 14, and Marmoush threw himself into it. He was the setter for shooting drills, signed whatever was needed, and chatted to the youngsters about their dreams.

He listened intently to an explanation of what the community projects do, was offered the chance to pose his own questions, and fired a barrage back.

Omar Marmoush was one of the Manchester City players present for a community event this week

The Egyptian has shown an illuminating appreciation for this great opportunity in his career

The City in the Community event, a session for girls aged between six and 14, was held on Wednesday

Homelessness, food banks, how City align with local charities. He asked about it all. In Egypt, Marmoush’s homeland, he enjoys involving himself in good causes, yet the depth of his queries still took staff aback. ‘You can just tell it’s genuine,’ one source says.

He spent half an hour there, sprinkling a little stardust, and the plan was to then hop into a Mercedes Viano for his presentation to supporters on stage outside the Etihad Stadium.

But a fire ripping through a merchandise kiosk nearby forced the cancellation of the event, thwarting his grand unveiling.

Marmoush had already announced himself to City fans, of course, after being rushed into Pep Guardiola’s starting XI the previous Saturday against Chelsea. He sat between Savinho and Rodri — who is still around the team as he recovers from knee surgery — inside the dressing room.

He gravitated towards Bernardo Silva, Stefan Ortega and Erling Haaland during training. City’s players noticed the energy, the imagination. He is something a bit different.

They saw it on his debut, Marmoush lifting the crowd, a bundle of excitement whose only blot was straying offside — something perhaps explained by the lack of time he’d had with his new team-mates. Marmoush has not tuned-in yet to when their passes will be played.

City can go more direct with the 25-year-old around. Marmoush can surge beyond Haaland in a way few others do.

Against Chelsea, Guardiola set up a narrower midfield than usual, with three at the base and Marmoush and Phil Foden in front to form a Christmas tree with a twist. The full backs poured forward into the space created.

It’s 2-3-4-1 at times and Marmoush’s arrival has given Guardiola more dexterity — an extra weapon when they meet Real Madrid over two legs in the Champions League later this month in what may become a pair of end-to-end ‘basketball’ matches.

Marmoush had already announced himself to City fans, of course, after being rushed into Pep Guardiola’s starting XI against Chelsea

Marmoush played wide on the left as a child but, wanting a change and fearful of being overlooked for compatriot Ramadan Sobhi, who would go on to struggle at Stoke and Huddersfield, he added strings to his bow. Then a striker and now capable of playing as a No 10, Marmoush’s style fills the void left by Julian Alvarez’s departure last summer.

‘The club decided to bring an extra player in the final third with the talent for scoring, assists, running and set-pieces,’ said Guardiola. ‘Except with Aymeric Laporte (in 2018), we never used the winter transfer window. But it was an exceptional situation, we had to intervene to finish the season as good as possible.

‘Players don’t come for six months, they come for four, five, six years if everything goes well.’

City admit they should have replaced Alvarez last summer but made it clear to Marmoush that he is not a like-for-like swap. The Egyptian was shown Alvarez’s numbers for last season, though. The Argentine played 3,481 minutes and Marmoush was told that game time is now his. Potential recruits are always fearful of becoming squad players under Guardiola but the minutes presented by outgoing director of football Txiki Begiristain put minds at ease.

Agent David Manasseh didn’t steer debate towards the tactical, bringing to mind something Begiristain once said about the representative. ‘David knows very little about football but he knows how to put a deal together,’ he explained.

And put a deal together they did, City committing to an extra £4m in bonuses to Eintracht who, at the start of the window, made clear they would not be selling.

Teams across Europe were queuing up for Marmoush in the summer and City stole a march at what they believe is a very smart price for somebody who recorded 20 goals and 14 assists in 26 games before departing Germany.

Jhon Duran and Al Nassr may well end up as the most expensive transfer of this January window but Marmoush should be the standout signing in the fullness of time.

Mo Salah will eventually pass on the crown as the public’s king and the Egyptians are ready to embrace City’s new No 7 as the successor

Teams across Europe were queuing up for Marmoush in the summer and City stole a march at what they believe is a very smart price

As City’s interest firmed earlier in the window, the beaches of Hurghada — out on Egypt’s east coast — were crazed with excitement. The guys attending sun loungers would spot English tourists, decipher whether they like football, and enthusiastically launch into comparisons between Marmoush and Mohamed Salah.

Salah will eventually pass on the crown as the public’s king and the Egyptians are ready to embrace City’s new No 7 as the successor. Marmoush could have pledged international allegiance to Canada owing to the citizenship of his parents but, after a few visits to Ottawa, he decided against it.

To much delight, Marmoush’s match shirt from Chelsea was snaffled by a YouTuber from his homeland, who spent the evening sitting close to the away dugout at the Etihad Stadium.

Marmoush, educated at the private boarding American International School in Cairo — banned from attending training during school hours — never had any intention of starring in Egypt. He rejected overtures by Al Ahly and Zamalek when at Wadi Degla, a club affiliated with Arsenal and for whom he scored 26 goals at more than two a game one year in the youth set-up. Europe was the goal, the Premier League the dream, and now he is here.

Arsenal away on Sunday, would you believe. Guardiola has a quandary ahead of the Emirates. Stick with last week’s formation, offering more central protection to help avoid crippling transitions, or throw Savinho back in after the Brazilian’s match-turning appearance off the bench against Bruges.

Marmoush could be reduced to making an impact as a substitute which, given his all-action debut, may well suit him.

On that debut there was an energy inside the Etihad whenever Marmoush gathered possession, and there were positive signs — even if those close to him stress that only in 12 months will we know whether this switch is a success.

After the match, Marmoush was whisked away to his city-centre hotel, the Dakota — the same one afforded to Haaland when he turned up in 2022 — and City sources say he has expressed a preference for finding an apartment close to the training ground.

City can go more direct with the 25-year-old around. Marmoush can surge beyond Erling Haaland in a way few others do.

The forward linked up well with Haaland (middle) on his debut for City against Chelsea last weekend

His family, well-educated and affluent, were with him. His father Khaled, a chief information officer at Telecom Egypt. His mother Naglaa. His sister, her husband, their daughter. The family courteously thanked City staff for their tour of the Etihad, while Marmoush posed questions about the £300m development of the club’s north stand.

It had been a whirlwind since bidding an emotional farewell to Eintracht, ending with a goal and two assists in beating Freiburg. Boarding the Bombardier Challenger 300 private jet on the evening of January 20, a two-part medical and two hours of media. A full nine-hour day to complete the move with photos of Marmoush signing his contract alongside Begiristain.

‘We’re taking the best player in the Bundesliga,’ Begiristain told him. ‘Every coach was telling me, “Sign him, sign him”.’

Even given the link with Wadi Degla, Arsenal clearly ignored him. And Tottenham too, who were urged to take a look last summer by their former striker Mido. He does possess a vested interest, having coached a teenage Marmoush at Wadi Degla, and has stuck by him in times of strife.

Marmoush missed out on Egypt’s Olympics squad in 2021 after being asked to abscond from Wolfsburg, who gave him his European break, and pay for the airfare to join their camp during Covid. Refusing out of principle, Marmoush would later be criticised by ex-player Reda Abdel Aal, who claimed at least 100 players were more capable.

That feels somewhat outlandish now and in a role as a UEFA technical adviser, Ryan Giggs played a role in Wolfsburg’s pursuit — spotting Marmoush in an Under-17 tournament and passing the message on.

Via loans at St Pauli and Stuttgart, before exploding with Frankfurt, he has arrived in England as the face of City’s rebuild. The old coaches in Cairo haven’t been forgotten — they are sent flowers on their birthdays. If things go well here, Marmoush will be receiving his own.

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