Omar Marmoush is set to join Tottenham from Manchester City in a deal worth around £60m, but he will face an immediate setback once the move is confirmed: his preferred shirt number is already taken.
The versatile forward is poised to leave the Etihad Stadium after less than two years at the club, having joined from Eintracht Frankfurt at the start of 2025. He is expected to sign a five-year contract and will undergo a medical with the north Londoners on Thursday after financial terms were agreed earlier this week.
Second City player to join Spurs
Marmoush will become the second Manchester City player to join Tottenham in quick succession after Savio, formerly known as Savinho, arrived on Tuesday in a deal worth up to £85m.
Moving to Tottenham will give Marmoush the opportunity to play more regularly, having only made eight Premier League starts for City last season. However, he won't have everything his own way when he arrives in the capital.
Shirt number dilemma
That's because he will need to pick a different shirt number, with his preferred No 7 already occupied by Xavi Simons. Marmoush wore No 7 at Frankfurt, where he made a name for himself as one of the Bundesliga's most feared attackers, before taking up the same number at City.
If it was available, he would almost certainly pick that same number at Tottenham. Instead, he will be forced to choose something else. Marmoush wore No 29 for a number of seasons during his time at Wolfsburg, but even that is already taken at Spurs by Pape Matar Sarr.
Possible alternatives
One potential option would be No 22, which is currently vacant. Marmoush previously wore the number during a brief loan spell at St Pauli for the 2020/21 season. It was a successful period for the forward, who scored seven goals in 21 appearances, so he might be tempted to run it back at Tottenham.
Marmoush could also decide to wear No 32, which hasn't been worn at Tottenham since Benoit Assou-Ekotto left the club well over a decade ago.
Whatever he chooses to go with, the 27-year-old will be looking to hit the ground running at Spurs, who endured a nightmare start to the season over the weekend. They were thrashed by Brentford, leaving them in the relegation zone after just one game, but managed to boost their confidence in midweek with a thumping 5-1 win over Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup.
