Tottenham already learning the hard way why Man City let Omar Marmoush go

Manchester City has certainly had its issues scoring goals in recent matches. Any positivity seems to depend on individual excellence, not exquisite teamwork. This is likely why Omar Marmoush couldn't help either.

The short-term City striker transferred to Tottenham ahead of the season, and so far he has been a massive bust. Not that this matters to the Blues, of course. The club seemed to understand what Marmoush could bring to the club, and it was basically the epitome of City's recent performance.

You see, Marmoush can help his club by helping himself at times, but he historically rarely helps others. In 37 matches for Man City, he scored 10 goals but had just three assists. In the 2024/25 season, he had seven goals in 16 matches after moving from Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, but he had no assists.

He is either in the right place at the right time or, more often, dispossessed of the ball and not a help to anyone. He did have three assists in the 2025/26 season, but in 21 Premier League matches. He was overall quite ineffective. This is one reason that City was happy to allow him to be loaned to Tottenham.

Teamwork matters in sports, obviously. Not that Marmoush is unwilling to help his team win; he might just not have the skill set to do so. At a relatively mediocre Tottenham club, he has just one goal in nine games (eight starts), but no assists. He has gummed up the works in a way that Manchester City and manager Enzo Maresca should not be surprised to see.

The loan fee is a mandatory £60 million from the Spurs, so one might feel sorry for them if this wasn't the Spurs' doing. City could certainly see the style that the Egyptian played with, and it wasn't going to be one that allowed Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo to be better, for instance.

Erling Haaland was going to get goals either way, though having Marmoush be a threat would have helped Haaland see more space, too. That was never going to happen, though.

Ultimately, Marmoush's ineffective play is only going to help Manchester City. His transfer and poor performance are just free money. The club brought him to City from Frankfurt, and he was solid for the German club, but the difference between general Bundesliga play and general Premier League play is quite significant.

There is likely a reason that Omar Marmoush has bounced around from club to club, never being trusted to help any club for more than two consecutive seasons. He teases elite performance, but in reality doesn't truly help anyone win.

He will almost certainly never be back with Manchester City. Enzo Maresca clearly isn't a fan, though he is nice enough to say otherwise. But even if the Blues continue to struggle and Maresca is eventually asked to leave, Marmoush shouldn't be back.

He doesn't do enough for the overall form of the club. Tottenham is learning that this season, though City would never have let them in on that secret.