Omar Marmoush tells Guardiola the FIVE positions he can play as Man City finalise signing No 3

Omar Marmoush has outlined his qualities and named the five positions he is happy to play in for Manchester City after finalising his £59m move from Eintracht Frankfurt – and it seems Pep Guardiola is not done yet with signing No 4 and 5 still an option at the Etihad this month.

The four-time reigning Premier League champions have fallen alarmingly off their perch this season and instead of their customary title battle are locked in a fight only for the top four, while also facing a big uphill battle to even reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. As a result of their shock drop-off, Guardiola and Co have tackled the January window head-on, having already brought in defender Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens for £33.6m and Vitor Reis, who arrives from Palmeiras, in a £29.4m deal.

Now City have moved to bolster their attack with the capture of Marmoush, who has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal to summer 2029 at the Etihad.

City have paid Frankfurt an initial £59m (€70m, $72.8m) rising to £63.4m (€75m, $78.1m) to land the 25-year-old Egypt forward, who will reportedly earn €16m per year at the Etihad – around £260,000 a week.

“I’m so happy to be here,” he told Man City’s official website. “Manchester City is one of the biggest clubs in the world over the past 10 years, so it was not a question.

“It is an honour the club showed an interest in me and now I’m here. The last two seasons have been great, but it is just the beginning for me.”

Marmoush has more goal involvements this season than Harry Kane and he insists he can do a job for Guardiola in a variety of positions.

“I’ve played many positions. For the national team, I am playing left wing most of the time. At my former club, I was playing No 9, sometimes at 10 and also an eight,” added Marmoush.

“I’ve also played on the right wing, so I think I can play in all the positions, but I feel most comfortable behind the striker in the No. 10 position where the way to the goal is quicker – or shorter I should say – so I am comfortable in all positions. But wherever I play, I will always give my all to try and help the team.”

READ MORE: All the done deals by Premier League clubs in the January 2025 transfer window

Man City may not be done yet with two more deals still possible 

Marmoush has also underlined his desire to help City get back to regular winning ways.

“My main strength I would say is that I always want to win – that is from a character point of view.

“On the pitch, I am fast, good on the ball, I try to see where the spaces are and exploit the spaces – and I’m dangerous.”

Despite already spending some £122m this month, City may not be done yet and Guardiola is keen to further add to his squad before the window slams shut.

And with Guardiola still concerned about the energy levels in his midfield, sources revealed to us on Tuesday that City are among the sides weighing up a possible move to bring Douglas Luiz back to the Premier League from Juventus.

The Brazil midfielder moved to Turin over the summer but has found first-team opportunities hard to come by and it’s understood he does not figure in Thiago Motta’s long-term plans.

As a result, a possible move back to the Premier League has been floated with Chelsea among those to be offered the 26-year-old’s services. However, we can reveal City are also admirers of their former player and a move to bring him back to the Etihad cannot be ruled out at this stage.

City’s top target, though, is Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton, though it remains to be seen if they can talk the Eagles into a deal mid-season. As a result, they could turn to Luiz given he would be an easier target.

Kyle Walker replacement also eyed

City could also look to sign a new right-back this month with Kyle  Walker on the cusp of finalising a move to AC Milan.

The England right-back, 33, has played a huge role in City’s success down the years but has made it clear he wants to make one final move before his career ends and talks with the Italians have now seen an agreement reached over a two-and-a-half year deal.

That move is expected to be finalised in the coming days.

In the meantime, City are scouring the market for would-be replacements and Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg revealed on Wednesday that there is a strong chance that Joshua Kimmich will reunite with Guardiola this month.

The experienced Germany star can also cover as a holding midfielder, so his signing would certainly tick a lot of boxes from a City point of view. Liverpool have also been linked with Kimmich, though according to Plettenberg, Arne Slot’s side are not planning a move and have their focus on other right-back options should they need to replace Real Madrid target Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso has also been touted as a possible option for City to replace Walker.

Omar Marmoush to Man City: The timeline

By Samuel Bannister

January 4: Reports from France claimed Manchester City had stepped up their pursuit of Marmoush but for a summer switch.

January 7: As revealed by TEAMtalk, City made contact to submit a formal enquiry to Eintracht Frankfurt about Marmoush.

January 9: City reached a full verbal agreement with Marmoush over personal terms.

January 14: City submitted their official bid for Marmoush, on the day he scored in his final appearance for Eintracht.

January 16: City reached a verbal agreement with Eintracht for Marmoush’s transfer fee.

January 17: Eintracht confirmed they were in talks with another club about Marmoush and left him out of their squad for that evening’s game against Borussia Dortmund, at which he waved goodbye to the fans.

January 21: Marmoush was booked in for a medical in Manchester.

January 23: Marmoush completes his €75m move to Man City – the fourth biggest in their history – signing a deal to summer 2029.