Who is Omar Marmoush? Nottingham Forest Eye Egyptian Star
Nottingham Forest are closing in on a deal for Egyptian player Omar Marmoush according to the Telegraph. In this article, a quick look will be taken at the Egyptian player and how he may benefit Nottingham Forest if the deal is finalized.
Dealing with the setbacks
The Egyptian started his career in Egyptian club Wadi Degla. As a young Egyptian, he could have moved to one of the country giants, Ahly or Zamalek, but he did not and opted for a career abroad, moving to VFL Wolsburg in Germany. He played for some time with the Wolfsburg youth team and the second team before they loaned him to German clubs St. Pauli and VFB Stuttgart. Till that time, his career also did not take off as expected. Any Egyptian player would have taken the easy route and returned to Egypt after all these setbacks. Marmoush did not, and he joined then Europa League Champions Frankfurt as a free agent. Only at Frankfurt, Oliver Glasner started to get the best out of him.
Marmoush Versatility across the front line
Glasner knew the type of talent he had in his hands. He started to benefit from the Egyptian’s ability to play anywhere across the front line. Looking at his career, he played 116 games as a center forward, 36 as a winger, and 16 as an attacking midfielder. This is a player who can perform anywhere across the front line. In the Egyptian national team, Marmoush plays on the left side in a front line of Mohamed Salah and Mostafa Mohamed (a traditional striker). In his two games with Frankfurt this season, he played as a left winger and attacking midfielder. This is a player who is adept at being a facilitator and a scorer. Marmoush assisted twice in Frankfurt’s 4-1 victory in the cup, showing he is just as adept at assisting as scoring. The Egyptian is also a good striker of the ball with both feet, and he can take the set pieces.
Looking at his numbers
Last season, Marmoush scored 12 goals in the Bundesliga from a 10.58 non-penalty xG. The season before, Marmoush scored 5 goals from a 4.35 non-penalty xG. This shows someone who always overperforms his expected goals, showing a good nose for the net.
Looking at Marmoush numbers in the Bundesliga the last three seasons, he scored three goals in 2021/2022, five goals in 2022/2023, and 12 goals in 2023/2024. This is a player who has been improving his numbers every season.
Last season, Marmoush was in the 95th percentile in goals scored, 92nd percentile in goals involvement, 86th percentile in assists, 89th percentile in shots taken, and 94th percentile in shot accuracy. This shows a player who has high accuracy and does not shoot except when the chance is good or he trusts it.
He is also in the 88th percentile of crosses completed. Marmoush is also in the 94th percentile for Dribbles taken and the 89th percentile for successful dribbles. Something that will be helpful in feeding chances to Nottingham target men Taiwo Aywoniyi and Chris Wood, especially his crossing ability.
Marmoush is also a good presser, as he has been developed in the Bundesliga system. He is a very good dueler for a forward, as he is in the 86th percentile in duels and the 87th percentile in duels won.
How he fits Nottingham Forest
Marmoush’s numbers show a player who is a good finisher. This will be needed in Nottingham. His versatility also fits, as he can line up as a striker if Nottingham wants to play on the counterattack using his pace and agility. He can also play as a winger if they want more creation from the wings and do not want to rely on the counter.
The Egyptian is also 183 cm and has enough physicality and energy to play in the Premier League. He does not have Elanga pace, but he could be more of a Morgan Gibbs-White playing on the left wing. Santo could also benefit from his crossing ability to feed Chris Wood and Awoniyi. His injury record is also so good for a team that got hurt by injuries continuously.
Conclusion
Marmoush numbers could be underwhelming when looking at them in absolutes, but this is a player who has been developing every season. At 25, he is just entering his prime. He had a career like Salah, who dealt with setbacks and then exploded in Serie A. In Marmoush, Nottingham could have another Egyptian who is ready to take the Premier League by storm. He is not as fast as Salah, but he is more technical than Salah was at his age. Marmoush is a professional, hard worker, has a high football IQ, is very adept in lining anyway across the front line, and can be a creator or a scorer depending on the team plan. If Nottingham, handles his development well, they could have a £100M asset in their hands before they know it.
As a Manchester United fan, I totally envy Nottingham Forest for this deal if it is done. Watching him all of his career, I was sure that Marmoush is getting his big move sometime soon in his career, and Nottingham Forest could be his first step towards becoming the talent we believe he can be.
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