Revealed: Omar Marmoush’s seismic impact on Manchester City’s shirt sales and fan engagement from Egypt | OneFootball

The arrival of Omar Marmoush at Manchester City during the January transfer window has already had a remarkable impact on the club when it comes to interest from Egypt.

Txiki Begiristain and his recruitment colleagues at the Etihad Stadium had worked tirelessly to bring in the Egyptian international from Eintracht Frankfurt during the January transfer window, despite an initial stance from the German side that the player was not for sale.

City felt it necessary to add goalscoring strength to their forward line amid a concerning dependency on Erling Haaland, and after the sale of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid during the last summer transfer window.

Omar Marmoush had rapidly emerged as a leading goal contributor in German football and had inspired Frankfurt to a third-placed position in the Bundesliga, and as such commanded a hefty price tag during negotiations involving Manchester City.

The initial signs since his arrival in a €75 million switch from Germany are that City will see their investment repaid through fine performances on the field, but also through the immense popularity of English football in Omar Marmoush’s home country.

According to the information of The Times’ Paul Joyce, Marmoush’s number seven Manchester City shirt has become one of the most popular purchases in the club shop, along with that of Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Rodri since he joined.

It is further detailed that most of the buyers of shirts with the 26-year-old’s name on the back have come from the United States, Germany, and the UK, while interest from Egypt is strongly reflected in media engagements.

The report reveals that there has also been a spike in Manchester City’s popularity in Egypt with the number of visitors from the North African country to the club’s website and app multiplying by eight since the forward joined from Eintracht Frankfurt last month.

Omar Marmoush’s arrival has also caused Manchester City’s Egyptian fan database to grow by more than 25 per cent, according to The Times.

The 26-year-old forward has enjoyed a bright start to life at the Etihad Stadium on a personal note, albeit with a string of difficult results on the pitch across competitions alongside his new teammates.

Marmoush has already recorded his first goals for the club as part of a stellar hat-trick performance against Newcastle United earlier this month, while his versatility across the forward line has been put into practice by Pep Guardiola.

The Manchester City manager has not only placed Marmoush in the lone striker role at times this season, but also positioned the Egyptian in the left of his front-three, while the weekend’s clash with Liverpool saw him operate alongside Kevin De Bruyne in attacking midfield.