While Omar Marmoush did not score or assist whlie starting in the No. 10 role for Tottenham Hotspur with James Maddison not quite fit enough to start against Crystal Palace this weekend after last week's injury exit in the 50th minute of the 2-0 win over Chelsea (nor was it prudent to risk the all important starter either), he still had a positive game as part of a larger positive effort in this 2-0 win over Palace at home.
Marmoush had three key passes and three dribbles completed as one of the most effective dribblers on the team and one of several players to rule the roost against the Eagles as a creative force. The Egyptian international started behind Dominic Solanke and was a lot more effective than the main player he is competing with to be the starting striker of Tottenham going forward.
When Maddison is ready to start, which will presumably be next weekend, Marmoush has a clear advantage over Solanke as the No. 9 after Big Dom's latest slumping performance while Marmoush was at least an all around asset despite not being a real goal threat himself.
Omar Marmoush is a better option than Dominic Solanke and Conor Gallagher
But in terms of options at the 10 if Maddison is not able to play in the future again, Marmoush ensured that he will be ahead of Roberto De Zerbi's old favorite Conor Gallagher on the list of backups. While Gallagher seemed like he would have been a strong option against Palace with his work rate and ability to press, the difference in terms of technical ability, creativity, and obviously skill on the ball and athleticism goes to Omar Marmoush in spades.
Marmoush did plenty to prove that he is a better backup No. 10 to James Maddison than Gallagher, and until Dejan Kulusevski is healthy enough to start games from the beginning, which may not be for another few weeks, the Egyptian international will be preferred.
So in this way, Marmoush won the competition at the 9 against Dominic Solanke and won the backup 10 competition against Conor Gallagher by putting in a solid shift against Crystal Palace. Of course, given the cost of the transfer with 60 million pounds due to Manchester City upon the conclusion of the 2026/27 Premier League season, Tottenham will want to see goals and assists from their new center forward. But this was a positive game from Marmoush in a big win and another step forward from a player who is starting to find a groove in the lineup.
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