Marmoush's City Exit Looms as Tottenham Loan Nears
Omar Marmoush is on the verge of swapping the Etihad for north London, with a loan move to Tottenham that could well become permanent.
The Egyptian international is set to travel to London today to complete his medical, according to Fabrizio Romano. Tottenham have reached a verbal agreement to take Marmoush on loan for the 2026-27 season, with an obligation to buy if certain triggers are met. Should those conditions be satisfied, Spurs will pay £50 million.
It brings an end to a relatively brief stay in Manchester. Marmoush arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2025 and made a bright start, but things have unravelled since. A combination of injury and his participation at AFCON last season saw him slip down the pecking order, and he has spent much of his time viewed as nothing more than Erling Haaland's understudy.
Enzo Maresca put the possibility of Marmoush leaving firmly on the table during the club's preseason tour of Asia. The message was straightforward: the Egyptian wanted regular football, and that was not going to happen at City.
It is not hard to see why. There does not appear to be a role in Maresca's squad for Marmoush beyond deputising for Haaland. The wing is not an option, given the type of wide players the manager prefers, and the number ten role looks equally unlikely.
There is also the small matter of consistency. Marmoush can, on his day, look like a world-class operator. But at other times his first touch lets him down and he drifts completely out of matches. That hot-and-cold nature has made it difficult for him to stake a genuine claim.
So another player heads for the exit. Marmoush becomes the latest departure in a summer of change, and the chances are high that Tottenham will make the move permanent. Whether the Marmoush who turns up in north London is the one who dazzled in Frankfurt or the one who faded in Manchester will determine whether £50 million looks like a bargain or a gamble.