Next Salah?! Omar Marmoush is the Nunez UPGRADE Liverpool desperately need

Tom Weber

• Updated: 22 Apr 2024 22:00 BST
• 16 min read

Omar Marmoush has been linked with a move to Liverpool and, due to hailing from Egypt, occasionally touted as something of the 'next Mohamed Salah.'

If the Eintracht Frankfurt striker were to arrive at Anfield, however, he would actually be much more of a player in the Darwin Nunez mould than in that of Salah. Though often shoehorned into a winger role earlier in his career, the 25-year-old is now thriving as a number nine.

Prior to this season, the story of Marmoush's career had been one of unfulfilled potential and uncertainty over his best position. Since joining Frankfurt from Wolfsburg on a free transfer last summer, it has become abundantly clear what his ideal role is.

READ MORE: Amorim UNLIKELY to join Liverpool as West Ham enter race - Ornstein

STATS

Omar Marmoush

AM (L), F (CL)

E. Frankfurt

Omar Marmoush

AM (L), F (CL)

E. Frankfurt

All Tournaments

2023/24

• 37

  Games

• 16

  Goals

• 6

  Assists

View all stats

Marmoush has been a revelation as a centre-forward, but the fact that he has been able to consistently start there has been due to Frankfurt's unfortunate striker situation. They sold Randal Kolo Muani for big money on summer Deadline Day in 2023 with no time to sign a replacement.

In January, Sasa Kalajdzic and Hugo Ekitike arrived on loan, but the former has suffered an ACL injury, while the latter has only now returned to full match fitness after being exiled from PSG's squad for refusing to leave the club in the summer.

Marmoush thriving as a number nine

With Ekitike now off the mark for Frankfurt, there are already signs that Marmoush could once again be forced to change position. Against Augsburg last Friday, he started on the left wing, but this shift may only be temporary because the Egyptian could be on the way out in the summer.

His impressive form, which has seen him notch 16 goals and six assists in 37 games across all competitions, has attracted the attention of foreign suitors, with the likes of Brighton, Tottenham and Liverpool all linked. According to Sky Germany, Frankfurt won't stand in his way if he wants to leave this summer, setting a €50 million price tag for Marmoush.

The links to Liverpool certainly make sense and not just because he is a teammate of Mohamed Salah at the international level. The form of Darwin Nunez has been a real problem this season. You can't fault the Uruguayan's effort, but he is the worst finisher in Europe and his wastefulness in front of goal may ultimately prove costly in the Premier League title race.

READ MORE: The 15 Premier League players with a better goal record than Darwin Nunez

Marmoush doesn't have an issue with his finishing and, according to data analytics firm SciSports, the 25-year-old has been one of the top three strikers in the Bundesliga this term. The rapid Egyptian is a similarly mobile striker to Nunez but unlike his Liverpool counterpart, he usually keeps a cool head in front of the net.

Moreover, as per SciSports' Career Advice tool, the Eagles' sharpshooter would be an ideal signing for Liverpool. The Reds are his second-best-suited club after Real Madrid, with SciSports not yet taking into account Kylian Mbappe's seemingly impending arrival, which would surely reduce Los Blancos' suitability.

SciSports analyse hundreds of data points to calculate a Club Fit rating and Liverpool boast a very good score of 82, ahead of the likes of West Ham, Aston Villa and current club Frankfurt. Though there is obviously still a lot of uncertainty regarding Liverpool's style of play under a new coach next season, the potential signing of Marmoush for €50m seems, on paper, a very sensible move.