Tottenham's Transfer Saga: Marmoush and Spurs' Rebuild
Tottenham’s summer business has already twisted itself into one of those very modern transfer sagas – big fees, sell-on clauses, and a player caught in the middle of a numbers game.
Frankfurt left empty-handed on Marmoush deal
Eintracht Frankfurt will receive nothing from Omar Marmoush’s move from Manchester City to Tottenham Hotspur, despite speculation they were due a cut.
BBC Sport understands the Bundesliga club have confirmed there is no sell-on fee due as Marmoush leaves City for north London. That clarity cuts through a week of rumours around how City structured their outgoing deals.
Reports had suggested City had inflated the £75m fee for Savio, who is also joining Spurs, to reduce the amount owed to Frankfurt from Marmoush’s sale, with the Egyptian having left Germany for Manchester in 2025. The theory was simple: push Savio’s price up, keep the Marmoush fee down, and limit what went back to Frankfurt.
Frankfurt’s stance ends that storyline. They will not see a penny from Marmoush changing hands again.
Spurs’ rebuild and the ‘bomba’ De Zerbi wanted
So what next for Tottenham?
Roberto de Zerbi walked into the summer wanting a major overhaul. At the outset, Spurs were targeting five big signings, supplemented by a cluster of free transfers, as they looked to reshape a bloated squad that currently carries well over 30 senior players, depending on how you count the academy graduates.
Savio is one pillar of that rebuild. Marmoush is another. De Zerbi had spoken of wanting a “bomba” signing alongside Savio; Marmoush, with his profile and price, looks very much like the explosive addition he had in mind.
How many more follow will hinge on who leaves once the Savio and Marmoush deals are finalised. Outgoings will dictate just how radical this first De Zerbi window becomes.
What Marmoush actually brings
Strip away the noise around fees and clauses and you’re left with the real question: what kind of forward are Spurs getting?
At Manchester City, Marmoush scored 16 goals in 62 appearances in all competitions after arriving from Frankfurt. Eight of those came in 36 outings in 2025-26, a season in which his Premier League minutes shrank dramatically.
He started only eight league games, playing around 700 minutes – fewer than he managed in the half-season immediately after joining. His league return was three goals and three assists. The underlying numbers tell a similar story: 3.53 expected goals, closely aligned with his actual tally. The problem wasn’t wasteful finishing.
The problem was Erling Haaland – and everything that comes with playing in a side built around him. City then doubled down on their attacking options, squeezing Marmoush’s opportunities even further.
At Frankfurt, he operated mostly as a central striker but frequently drifted into other roles – as a second forward and from the left. City used him in similar fashion: primarily through the middle, occasionally off the flank or just behind another striker. That positional elasticity is exactly the sort of trait De Zerbi tends to prize.
It also plugs a very obvious gap. Dominic Solanke has been hampered by injuries over the past 18 months. Richarlison is entering the final year of his contract. Spurs need a reliable number nine who doesn’t freeze when shunted into a different lane across the front line.
Marmoush ticks that box.
The runs that suit De Zerbi’s Spurs
Nedum Onuoha, who watched Marmoush closely at City, believes his game hinges on one key element.
As much as Marmoush can drop in and link play, Onuoha argues he is at his best playing on the shoulder of the last defender. He thrives when a team looks to slide passes in behind and force defences to turn and sprint towards their own goal. That’s when the more dangerous version of Marmoush emerges.
The numbers back that up. Opta data from last season shows Marmoush averaged 11.46 runs in behind per 90 minutes in the Premier League. That is almost identical to Solanke’s 11.61 and ahead of Richarlison’s 10.03. He also offered considerably more with the ball than both.
Drop that profile into a De Zerbi system that encourages vertical passes and aggressive movement, and the fit starts to look obvious. Spurs want to play on the front foot. Marmoush wants to live on the edge of the back line.
Newcastle turn to Gonzalez after Guimaraes exit
While Tottenham reshape their attack, Newcastle United are rebuilding the heart of their midfield.
Matthias Jaissle’s young side pushed Liverpool to the brink on the opening weekend but still looked a couple of pieces short before the transfer window shuts on 1 September. Six signings had already arrived – goalkeepers Lukas Hornicek and Ewen Jaouen, defender Amar Dedic, midfielders Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur, and forward Bazoumana Toure.
Jaissle was blunt in an interview with BBC Sport last week: “adjustments need to be done and will be.” Losing talisman Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal only sharpened that need.
Enter Nico Gonzalez.
Newcastle have agreed a deal worth up to £52m with Manchester City for the 24-year-old midfielder. The club had previously shopped exclusively on the continent this window, but the departures of Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier pushed them towards proven Premier League experience.
Gonzalez has only been in England for a season and a half after joining from Porto, yet he fits the profile Newcastle have targeted – young enough to grow, seasoned enough to cope.
His numbers last season were elite. Among midfielders who played at least 900 minutes in Europe’s top five leagues, Gonzalez led the way for high turnovers per game (2.13). He also ranked in the Premier League’s top five midfielders for line-breaking passes per match (12).
Those traits – aggressive pressing without the ball, progressive passing with it – are exactly what Jaissle wants at St James’ Park. Gonzalez will not just replace Guimaraes; he will be asked to drive a new phase of Newcastle’s evolution.
Forest gamble big on Delap
If Newcastle are paying for control in midfield, Nottingham Forest are paying for goals.
Forest have agreed a club-record fee worth around £50m to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap. The 23-year-old is expected to undergo a medical and sign a long-term contract at the City Ground this week.
It is a remarkable rise in value for a player who left Manchester City’s academy for Ipswich Town in 2024 for about £20m. At Portman Road he delivered: 12 goals in 37 top-flight games and the tag of potential future England international.
That form earned him a £30m move to Chelsea amid competition from Manchester United and Everton. The move never truly ignited. Delap scored just one Premier League goal in a campaign disrupted by shoulder and hamstring injuries, and Chelsea have now made him available for sale.
Forest’s willingness to almost double what Chelsea paid is a statement. They believe Delap can be a regular Premier League scorer again.
They need him to be. Chris Wood and Igor Jesus both drew blanks in the 1-0 home defeat by Leeds on the opening weekend. Taiwo Awoniyi has gone to Coventry City for £9m. The club have already cashed in on England midfielder Elliot Anderson, selling him to Manchester City for a record £116m, and used part of that windfall on defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting for £34m, plus free agents Xaver Schlager and goalkeeper Steve Benda.
Now the bulk of their attacking gamble sits on Delap’s shoulders.
Chelsea, for their part, have moved on quickly. They have already brought in two new strikers this summer: Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg and Danny Welbeck from Brighton.
A frantic finish to the window
All this plays out with less than a week left in the window and deals still flying across the Premier League.
Nottingham Forest are racing to get Delap through the door. Aston Villa are weighing up a move for Jean-Philippe Mateta as they prepare for life after Ollie Watkins. Tottenham are still juggling ins and outs around De Zerbi’s new frontline.
The numbers will dominate the headlines. The real story will be written across the season: did Spurs finally find their ‘bomba’, did Newcastle truly replace Guimaraes, and did Forest just overpay – or did they buy their way to safety?
