Tottenham's Summer Transfer Plans: No Fee for Frankfurt in Marmoush Deal

Tottenham’s summer rebuild has taken another sharp twist – and this one comes with a surprise for Eintracht Frankfurt.

No windfall for Frankfurt in Marmoush deal

BBC Sport understands Frankfurt will receive no sell-on fee from Omar Marmoush’s move from Manchester City to Tottenham Hotspur.

For weeks there had been noise around the structure of Spurs’ double swoop for Savio and Marmoush, both arriving from City in this window. Reports suggested City had inflated Savio’s £75m fee to lessen the percentage owed to Frankfurt on Marmoush, who left the Bundesliga club for the Etihad in 2025.

Frankfurt have now shut that talk down from their side: they are not due a penny as Marmoush changes clubs again.

Spurs’ transfer plan: how many more?

So where does that leave Tottenham’s wider summer plan?

At the start of the window, the club were working towards five major signings, topped up by free transfers, as they tried to reshape Roberto De Zerbi’s squad in his image. With Savio and Marmoush arriving from City, a big chunk of that work is already in motion.

De Zerbi spoke about wanting a “bomba” signing to go with Savio. Marmoush, given his profile and price, fits that description neatly.

But the next steps hinge on outgoings. Spurs currently have well over 30 senior players on their books, depending on how you classify academy graduates. Until sales clear space and wages, the scale of any further business remains tied to who leaves.

What Marmoush actually brings Spurs

Strip away the noise around fees and clauses, and you’re left with the footballer.

Omar Marmoush scored 16 goals in 62 games in all competitions for Manchester City after arriving from Frankfurt. The raw numbers from last season are modest: eight goals in 36 appearances in 2025-26, with his Premier League involvement shrinking.

He started only eight league matches, logging roughly 700 minutes – fewer than he managed in the half-season immediately after joining. His league return: three goals and three assists. His expected goals stood at 3.53, almost a perfect match to his actual tally. The problem wasn’t finishing. It was opportunity.

Marmoush found himself buried in a squad built around Erling Haaland, with City continuing to stack attacking options around their No 9. Someone was always going to be squeezed.

Spurs, by contrast, have a very different landscape. Dominic Solanke has battled injuries across the last 18 months. Richarlison is into the final year of his contract. De Zerbi needs reliability, but he also needs variety.

Marmoush is primarily a number nine, but he is no penalty-box statue. At Frankfurt he operated mostly through the middle, yet also popped up as a second striker and from the left. City used him in a similar way: mainly central, occasionally wide, sometimes just off another forward.

That kind of tactical flexibility is gold dust for a coach like De Zerbi, who constantly tweaks his front line and asks his forwards to interchange zones rather than stay glued to a starting position.

The runs that suit De Zerbi’s football

Former City defender Nedum Onuoha has watched Marmoush closely and sees his best version in one specific scenario: on the shoulder of defenders.

As Onuoha points out, Marmoush can drop towards the ball, but he truly comes alive when a team keeps sliding passes in behind, forcing defenders to sprint back towards their own goal. That’s when his timing and movement start to hurt opponents.

The data backs that up. Opta’s Premier League numbers from last season show Marmoush averaged 11.46 runs in behind per 90 minutes. That’s virtually identical to Solanke’s 11.61 and ahead of Richarlison’s 10.03. The difference is that Marmoush also offered more on the ball, a blend of direct running and link play that fits neatly with De Zerbi’s vertical, aggressive style.

For a manager who wants his side to attack space relentlessly and drag backlines out of shape, Marmoush looks less like a luxury and more like a tailored piece.

Newcastle turn to Gonzalez after Guimaraes exit

While Spurs fine-tune their forward line, Newcastle United are rebuilding the heart of their midfield.

After their young side came within seconds of beating Liverpool on the opening weekend, head coach Matthias Jaissle made it clear to BBC Sport that “adjustments need to be done and will be” before the window closes on 1 September.

The response has been busy. Newcastle have already brought in goalkeepers Lukas Hornicek and Ewen Jaouen, defender Amar Dedic, midfielders Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur, plus forward Bazoumana Toure.

The big hole, though, was obvious. Bruno Guimaraes has gone to Arsenal, and Newcastle needed a midfielder who could dictate and disrupt in equal measure.

Enter Nico Gonzalez.

Newcastle have agreed a deal worth up to £52m with Manchester City for the 24-year-old, who joined from Porto and has spent a season and a half in the Premier League. He brings the top-flight experience the club felt they lacked after losing Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier in recent months.

Gonzalez is not just a safe option. His numbers from last season are elite. Among midfielders who played at least 900 minutes in Europe’s top five leagues, he 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 – winning the ball high, then punching it through lines – are exactly what Jaissle wants as he hands Gonzalez a central role at St James’ Park. Not long ago, a player with this profile might have been out of Newcastle’s reach. Now he becomes the fulcrum of their next phase.

Forest’s £50m gamble on Delap

Down at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest are making a very different kind of statement.

They have agreed a club-record fee of around £50m with Chelsea for striker Liam Delap, who is set to undergo a medical and sign a long-term deal this week.

Delap’s path has already taken a few sharp turns. He came through Manchester City’s academy, then went on loan to Stoke, Preston and Hull before joining Ipswich Town in 2024 for about £20m. There, he thrived: 12 goals in 37 Premier League games, enough to earn talk of a future England role.

Chelsea paid £30m to bring him to Stamford Bridge a year ago, beating interest from Manchester United and Everton. The move never really caught fire. A shoulder issue and hamstring problems disrupted his season, and he finished with just one Premier League goal.

Chelsea moved on quickly, signing Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg and Danny Welbeck from Brighton this summer. Delap, made available for sale, has become Forest’s big swing.

The belief at the City Ground is clear. A £50m outlay says they see the 23-year-old as a long-term starting striker, not just depth behind Chris Wood and Igor Jesus. Both failed to score in Forest’s 1-0 home defeat by Leeds on the opening weekend, underlining the need for a sharper edge in front of goal.

Forest have already added defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting for £34m, as well as free agents Xaver Schlager and goalkeeper Steve Benda. To balance the books, they sanctioned the club-record £116m sale of England midfielder Elliot Anderson to Manchester City and moved Taiwo Awoniyi to Coventry City for £9m.

The question now is simple: is Delap the striker who justifies that reshaping of the squad?

A frantic final week

Across the league, the final days of the window are crackling.

Nottingham Forest are pushing Delap over the line. Aston Villa are weighing up a move for Jean-Philippe Mateta as they prepare for life after Ollie Watkins. Spurs are juggling incomings and outgoings. Newcastle are betting big on Gonzalez to anchor their midfield.

There is less than a week left. The money is still moving, the squads are still shifting, and the decisions made now will define how much of this season is spent chasing – and how much is spent leading.