15 goals and ten assists in the Bundesliga have aroused desire: Omar Marmoush is about to transfer to Manchester City.
Photo: imago/student
Nnamdi Collins had a good laugh. The Eintracht Frankfurt defender could hardly have scored his first Bundesliga goal, provided of course by Omar Marmoush, at a better time than in the impressive 4-1 home win against SC Freiburg. Three days before his reunion with Borussia Dortmund on Friday evening in the atmospheric arena in Frankfurt’s city forest, where the brash German-American wants to demonstrate to his former club why Eintracht did a lot of things right in transfer policy and BVB did a lot of things wrong.
“I’m not even involved with BVB anymore,” the 21-year-old assured – but: “I’m still looking forward to the game.” Frankfurt’s sports director Markus Krösche is also very happy about the game for a ridiculous price of one million Defensive all-rounder signed from Dortmund’s second team at Euros. Collins was well on his way to becoming a senior national player, Krösche rejoiced after the win against Freiburg. DFB scouts do not object.
It was in the nature of things that the U21 national player Collins talked less about his first goal in the upper house on Tuesday evening and more about the assist provider. Omar Marmoush, who once again made the difference against the good guests from Breisgau with a goal and two assists, is not only on everyone’s lips in the Main metropolis. In the background, the next mega deal is looming, which will soon bring 80 million euros into Eintracht’s coffers from Manchester City. The artist, who came from VfL Wolfsburg on a free transfer a year and a half ago, is about to move to the island to play in the globally respected Premiere League like his role model and compatriot Mo Salah.
Apparently the ideas of the two clubs are no longer far apart. Therefore, the Egyptian’s gala against Freiburg could have already been his farewell performance. Only: As long as the change is not completed, the other players want to enjoy its added value for a little longer. »Omar is a great guy. He helped us a lot again: We are all happy to have him in the team,” emphasized Collins.
Coach Dino Toppmöller raved in a similar style because his number seven once again easily ignored the winter speculation, as he did at Millerntor, with the winning goal against FC St. Pauli. “He’s a super boy who always tries to do the best for the team and doesn’t take himself too seriously,” emphasized Toppmöller. 33 points is the best score for the SGE since the introduction of the three-point rule. Without Marmoush’s 15 goals and ten assists, Eintracht would never be third in the table. Even non-football teachers recognize the value of the 25-year-old.
The 44-year-old Toppmöller stormed for Eintracht in the old Waldstadion during the dreary days of the second division. After the press conference, the idea slipped out in a small group of people that he would actually have to “lock away” Wispich, who came to Germany from Egyptian first division club Wadi Degla in 2017, so that he doesn’t move. “Unfortunately, Markus has a key,” joked the Eintracht coach, referring to sports director Krösche, who, as a tough negotiator, is not suspicious of any football romance.
His mantra in the Marmoush case: “There is interest from a club, there is nothing more to say about it.” The mastermind, who is well wired in the global transfer market, is not the kind of person who would shed a single tear for a professional. The 44-year-old said in a podcast in the fall that the cemetery was full of so-called irreplaceable footballers. Coming and going – that’s the business. Above all, there has to be a decent sum left.
This can be nerve-wracking and can also have an impact on your sporting perspective. So the haggling over striker Randal Kolo Muani, who shot through the roof at Eintracht Frankfurt in just one season and then ended up on Paris St.-Germain’s shopping list, dragged on like chewing gum in the summer of 2023. Because the Frenchman wanted to force his transfer to Paris with a strike, the agreement on deadline day came so late that Frankfurt received 95 million euros but no replacement. That’s what Toppmöller meant when, referring to Marmoush, he recalled that we had “already learned differently about how players behave.”
Despite all the praise for the Egyptian “super team player”, it is not certain that the magician will also play against Dortmund with the eagle on his chest. The coach has therefore adopted his manager’s pragmatism. When asked about a deployment, Toppmöller explained matter-of-factly: “We’ll see.” Otherwise, he consoled himself with the fact that there are viable forces in his squad – from Marmoush strike partner Hugo Ekitiké to Nathaniel Brown, Hugo Larsson, Oscar Højlund and even Can Uzun – not lacking. Maybe that’s why Nnamdi Collins had such a good laugh.