Manchester City are approaching the end of what has been the most glamourous era in their history.
Since 2017, the Etihad side have won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and of course, the Champions League in 2023.
Pep Guardiola has certainly left his legacy on English football and despite enduring the worst season of his managerial career, the Spaniard signed a new two-year extension to his City contract late last year.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Matheus Nunes react
The FA Cup remains City’s only hope of claiming any silverware this season. Regardless of what happens, securing a top-five place in the league table – and Champions League qualification that goes with it – is clearly the priority for Guardiola.
During the winter transfer window, he spent around £190m on signing four players who could pave the way for a new era starting next season.
Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Nico Gonzalez all arrived at the Etihad in what was the busiest winter transfer window since the former Barcelona manager took over the hotseat in 2016.
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Reis and Khusanov are two extremely talented defenders who could become a key duo over the coming years. Gonzalez is a 23-year-old midfielder who has the qualities to replace Rodri, while Marmoush adds some competition in the attacking department for Guardiola.
It is the latter who is already beginning to repay the faith shown in him by the manager.
Omar Marmoush's Man City career in numbers so far
The Egyptian cost the club around £59m from German side Eintracht Frankfurt earlier this year.
While spending this much midway through the season is always seen as somewhat of a risky venture, Marmoush shone in the Bundesliga between August and January.
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Across 25 games for Frankfurt, Marmoush found the back of the net on 20 occasions, chipping in with 14 assists in the process.
It didn’t take him long to make an impression at City. During their 4-0 win over Newcastle United last month, the 25-year-old scored his first Premier League hat-trick.
Operating on the left wing during that game, Marmoush also attempted two dribbles, delivered five crosses and completed 88% of his passes, showcasing his incredible talents.
Overall, in seven top-flight games for City, he has netted four times, created three big chances, averaged 1.1 key passes and has a 29% goal conversion rate, indicating that the player is taking to life in England with apparent ease.
The club were relying too heavily on Erling Haaland to provide the goals and when he suffered a dip in form, the club struggled.
Marmoush might well prove to be one of Guardiola’s most effective winter signings, especially if he maintains his current form.
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Aged 25, Marmoush has arguably yet to hit his peak and this could see his valuation soar over the coming years.
At this moment in time, however, the former Frankfurt star is worth €60m (£50m) according to Transfermarkt, although this has been fixed in place since late December 2024 and doesn’t take into consideration his recent form.
There was one player who was sold by the club last summer that is currently worth double Marmoush’s valuation.
Man City star is worth more than Marmoush after leaving
Did Guardiola make a big mistake by selling Julian Alvarez to Atlético Madrid in 2024? Judging by his form and increase in value, it appears so.
Having shone for River Plate in his homeland, Alvarez was snapped up by City in January 2022 for a fee of just £14m, although he wouldn’t link up with the English side until the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
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His maiden season at City saw the Argentinian score 17 goals in 49 appearances for the club, but only 23 of those came in the starting XI.
Nevertheless, he helped the club win a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, becoming the fifth player – after Cafu, Dida, Roque Junior and Ronaldinho – to win the World Cup, Copa Libertadores and Champions League in their careers.
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His second season saw a marked improvement in output, netting 19 times while registering 13 assists on his way to being labelled as an "incredible" player by Guardiola.
Rather surprisingly, he was sold last summer to Atlético for a fee of £82m. They may have made a staggering profit, but at what cost?
His move to join the La Liga side, who are managed by his compatriot Diego Simeone, has given them a new lease of life this season.
Only a penalty shootout defeat to holders and rivals Real Madrid ended their chances of success in the Champions League, while the club are currently looking to reach the final of the Copa del Rey and are very much in a title chase.
Alvarez's league statistics since August 2023
Metric
Goals
Assists
Key passes per game
Big chances created
Shots per game
Via Sofascore
Alvarez has scored 23 goals in 44 matches for the club, an excellent return, and he is certainly living up to his lofty fee.
In the top flight, the 25-year-old ranks in the top 9% for successful take-on percentage (57.1%), in the top 9% for carries into the final third (1.78) and in the top 11% for shot-creating actions (3.42) per 90.
It seems that the 2022 World Cup winner has settled in nicely at Atlético, which has also seen his valuation rise over the previous few months.
Indeed, according to the CIES Football Observatory, Alvarez is now currently worth €125m (£105m) due to his recent form for the Spanish outfit.
Not only does this value mean he is worth double that of Marmoush, but it proves that Guardiola made a big mistake in selling the South American forward, even if it meant bringing in a huge profit.
Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez scores a penalty during the penalty shootout wich is later disallowed after a VAR review
Of course, there is no way of telling whether his presence in the team could have prevented City from their struggles this season.
Given how well he has performed on the continent, however, losing him last summer could turn out to be one of the club’s worst pieces of transfer business in recent times.
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