By OkayGoal
Omar Marmoush is set to join Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
While he is not only the exact profile that fixes so many of the challenges we saw in Spurs opening day defeat to Brentford but the way this deal is constructed is the more interesting part which points to the Lilywhites having plenty more to do in this transfer window as Vinai & Co continues to spend aggressively.
Tottenham’s biggest problem in opening day defeat to Brentford is exactly why RDZ has signed Omar Marmoush
Tottenham’s biggest issue against Brentford was not just the pressing (though that needed improving). It was chance creation and losing the ball in the final third which allowed Brentford a high velocity of chances turned over directly from Tottenham’s own attacking play.
Statistically, Tottenham set records for all the wrong reasons in that specific area, conceding chances at a rate well above normal whenever they lost the ball in the final third.
Typically that problem comes down to a lack of attacking quality playing cohesive football, and this is where Omar Marmoush fixes so much of it.
He differs significantly from Richarlison, who is not strong on link-up play, chance creation or ball retention. Dominic Solanke is good at those things too, but lacks the goal threat.
What Spurs need is an all-round profile. A striker who can drop deep to collect the ball, essentially a connective false nine capable of helping stitch the front line together while retaining a genuine goal threat, and that is exactly Marmoush’s strength.
He is not perfect. His aerial duel numbers are a weakness, and this has become a consistent pattern in Tottenham’s recent recruitment. Xavi Simons is similar, Andy Robertson is not particularly strong in the air either, and Jan Paul van Hecke is another example.
Spurs will need to manage that, given they have already lost a lot of aerial duels in their opening game. But if the ball is retained more and played on the ground more often through technically capable players like Savinho and Marmoush, that weakness becomes far less costly.
Why the deal structure suggests Tottenham still has another attacker coming to N17
The way this deal is constructed hints strongly that Spurs are more likely to continue their pursuit of Cody Gakpo, who started for Liverpool this weekend.
Liverpool are looking to sign two more wide attackers, with Barcola and Mbaye among the names being considered, along with Yankuba Minteh from Brighton. If they sign just one of those, Gakpo likely stays. If they sign a second, Gakpo is far more likely to be given the opportunity to leave, and reports suggest he does want that move in order to start games regularly.
Crucially, the Omar Marmoush deal is not an outright obligation to buy, but an option based on certain clauses, deferring the payment into next season rather than paying within this one. That is Spurs managing their budget more carefully in the short term, because they still plan to do most of their aggressive spending this season on Premier League-proven players.
Next year, the expectation is more spending on prospects from overseas markets instead.
Addressing the Premier League proven player debate
There is a lot of emotion around whether Spurs have signed too many Premier League players this summer. It is a fair point to raise: Richarlison and Solanke cost £60 million each, £120 million combined for two Premier League-proven players who have not added the expected value, and Spurs’ best signings over recent seasons have often come from overseas or different divisions instead.
But there are also plenty of examples of Premier League-proven players hitting the ground running quickly, which is exactly why big clubs pursue them. It is why Elliot Anderson has gone to Manchester City, why Chelsea want Morgan Rogers, why Arsenal signed Declan Rice. Clubs pay that premium specifically for the ability to hit the ground running faster.
Compare that to Destiny Udogie, loaned back for a year to settle in, or Steven Bergwijn, still finding his feet, or even elite players like Son Heung-Min, who took a season to get going after arriving from a different league.
This looks like the season Spurs are paying the premium for players ready to contribute immediately, with the budget eaten into now so that next year’s spending can shift towards lower-cost prospects in other divisions instead.