Their own Marmoush: Newcastle must regret selling Toon star for just £9.5m

Newcastle United have had to be wary of the financial rules around transfers in the Premier League since PIF completed their takeover from Mike Ashley.

No club is allowed to spend as much money as they would like, due to profit and sustainability rules, and this has limited what the Magpies have been able to do in the transfer market in recent windows.

The Chronicle reported that the club opted to keep their powder dry in the January transfer window in order to leave themselves in a strong position with PSR ahead of the summer window.

As you can see in the clip above, Eddie Howe was unhappy with what Newcastle had to do last summer, as Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson both moved on from St. James’ Park.

The Magpies also moved on two players in January, as Miguel Almiron joined Atlanta United and Lloyd Kelly signed for Juventus on loan, without bringing any first-team additions in.

Newcastle were linked with interest in some players, though, and they were reportedly keen on a star who ended up joining one of their Premier League rivals.

Newcastle’s interest in Egypt international

CaughtOffside reported near the start of January that the Magpies were one of a number of teams interested in a deal to sign Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt on a permanent deal.

The outlet claimed that Aston Villa, Arsenal, and Chelsea were all also keeping tabs on his situation with the Bundesliga, with Newcastle also in the mix to land his signature.

However, Manchester City ended up winning the race for the Egypt international. Pep Guardiola’s side reportedly agreed an initial fee of £59m, with £4m in add-ons, to snap up the talented forward ahead of the second half of the season.

Marmoush has failed to provide a goal or an assist in his first four appearances for the Cityzens, but there should not be any major concerns for the Premier League giants yet.

The 26-year-old star’s form for Eintracht Frankfurt in the first half of the Bundesliga campaign suggests that he has the quality to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch when he hits his stride at The Etihad.

As you can see in the table above, Marmoush was directly involved in 24 goals in 17 appearances in the German top-flight, which attracted interest from Newcastle and others before his move to City.

The Magpies, though, once let go of a forward who could have been their own version of the £63m-rated sensation, as he has gone on to shine in Europe in recent seasons.

Newcastle sold their own Omar Marmoush

Back in the summer of 2015, Mike Ashley and Steve McClaren swooped to sign Florian Thauvin from Ligue 1 side Marseille for a reported fee of £13m.

It was a deal that saw Remy Cabella move the other way and it came after he had registered five goals and seven assists in the French top-flight in the 2014/15 campaign.

He arrived at St. James’ Park for a decent fee, at that time, and a good return in Ligue 1 in the previous season, so there may have been some excitement around what the forward could do for the Magpies in the 2015/16 term.

Thauvin, unfortunately, failed to hit the ground running in the Premier League and struggled throughout his first six months in England, before returning to Marseille on loan in January of 2016.

As you can see in the table above, the French winger was unable to make an impact at the top end of the pitch, and the Magpies opted to ship him away instead of giving him time.

Thauvin went back to Marseille on loan for 18 months before leaving Newcastle, after just 13 league appearances in two years, for a fee of £9.5m in the summer of 2017, which is a sale that they must now regret.

Why Thauvin could have been Newcastle’s Marmoush

The left-footed dynamo starred in Ligue 1 for Marseille after his return to the French club and put up outstanding numbers in the final third, akin to Marmoush’s form in the Bundesliga for Frankfurt.

Aside from the 2019/20 campaign, in which he missed 32 matches through injury, Thauvin thrived as both a scorer and a creator of goals from out wide during his second spell with the club.

As you can see in the table above, the former Newcastle flop provided a consistent threat in the final third in Ligue 1 after the Magpies did not give him more than six months to adapt to the Premier League.

If they had given him more time to adjust to playing in England then they could have had their own version of Marmoush, given his incredible return in front of goal.

In the current day, Thauvin plays for Udinese in the Serie A and his form since the start of the 2023/24 campaign has earned him a comparison to the Manchester city forward.

As per FBref, Marmoush is one of the most similar players to Thauvin based on their statistics in the Men’s Big 5 Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days. Atalanta star Charles de Ketelaere and Atletico Madrid icon Antoine Griezmann are also among the most similar players to the Frenchman.

As you can see in the chart above, the former Newcastle dud is similar to the Egypt international in a host of statistics per 90, particularly when it comes to progressing play and creating chances for his teammates.

Thauvin has produced ten goals and six assists in the Serie A since the start of last season, as the 32-year-old star continues to show why Magpies should regret getting rid of him so swiftly after his initial struggles in the Premier League.