The last few weeks have been a challenge for Mikel Arteta and Arsenalhaving to replace the creativity of the injured Bukayo Saka in the final third.
The Englishman has scored five and dished out ten assists at the age of 16 Premier League appearances, but following surgery on his hamstring, he is set to be out until at least March – massively denting the Gunners’ title ambitions.
Ethan Nwaneri has looked to fill the void in recent performances, scoring in Saturday night’s draw with Brighton and Hove Albion – his second top-flight goal of his professional career.
As for Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, they often shared the attacking roles but struggled to replicate the performance levels of the injured academy graduate.
Such form could see the hierarchy dip into the transfer market to try and bolster Arteta’s side to help their title ambitions, with one player already on the radar after the transfer window opened this week .
Arsenal in race to sign 18-man forward in January
According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal is one of many English teams in the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmus before the end of the ongoing window.
However, Manchester City and Liverpool are he said he has the advantage at this stage, with Aston Villa, Newcastle and Chelsea also monitoring the Egyptian’s progress.
The 25-year-old is currently enjoying the best season of his professional career to date, scoring 18 times and providing 11 assists in just 24 games – only behind Harry Kane in the Bundesliga scoring charts.
As a result of his recent form, the German side require a remuneration of the order of 70 million Euro (£58m) to part ways with their star forward, but it remains to be seen if either side is willing to match such a price.
However, given his form, it could be a potential deal, prompting comparisons with one of Europe’s top talents over the past couple of months.
Because Marmoush could be Arteta’s own Mbappe
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé has established himself as one of world football’s biggest stars over the past two years following his impressive form in the attacking third.
The 26-year-old has been cut 14 goals in his first year in Spain after joining the European giants on a free transfer from PSG in the summer following his unheard of goalscoring record during his time at the Parc des Princes.
Bape scored 235 goals in 264 appearances for the Parisians, while also scoring a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final, becoming only the second player in football history to achieve such a feat.
Arsenal would undoubtedly love to have a player of Mbappé’s quality, but a move for Marmoush could allow them to land a player of a similar caliber, especially as they delve into his underlying assets from 2024/25.
As a result of Egypt’s performances, it has been dubbed as one of the most similar players in Europe’s top five leagues to the Real Madrid ace by FBref, with the Frankfurt talisman even outscoring the Frenchman in a number of areas since the start of the campaign.
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How Marmoush compares to Mbappé in 2024/25 |
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|---|---|---|
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Statistics (per 90) |
Marmoush |
Bape |
|
Games played |
15 |
17 |
|
Goals & Assists |
20 |
12 |
|
Goals per shot on goal |
0.4 |
0.2 |
|
Actions creating shots |
5.7 |
3.3 |
|
Pickups completed |
50% |
40% |
|
The aerialists won |
0.40 |
0.06 |
|
Statistics via FBref |
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Like Mbappe, the Egyptian forward has plenty of pace and the ability to beat his man. That said, Marmoush, who was recently named “one of the best strikers in Europe» of analyst David Segar, has scored more combined goals and assists than the France international – also averaging best goal per shot on target range – highlighting his clinical nature in the final third.
He’s finished too more shots and earn more aerials per 90offering that all-round centre-forward that Arteta and the Gunners have been craving for the last couple of seasons.
It may be a risky move splashing out almost £60m on a player currently enjoying a purple patch, possibly running the risk that the striker may not be able to maintain his recent performance levels.
However, Marmoush has shown that he is capable of grooming some of the best talent in Europe, which could dramatically improve the club’s forward line in their quest to end a two-decade wait for a league triumph.
With City currently leading the race for his signature, the Gunners hierarchy must act quickly to prevent the 25-year-old from losing and subsequently improving on one of their main rivals.
