An Eintracht Frankfurt representative takes aim at Nottingham Forest and others who unsuccessfully pursued Omar Marmoush during the summer transfer season.
Eintracht Frankfurt claims it was simple to persuade Omar Marmoush to turn down transfer interest from Nottingham Forest late in the summer window.
The club waited until the last minute to sign a forward, a choice that proved costly. Deadline day was far from a flop, as the loan signing of James Ward-Prowse and the signing of defender Morato from Benfica completed Nuno Espirito Santo’s summer acquisitions.
Only time will tell if he regrets not signing another striker. Officials in Frankfurt, on the other side, are clearly pleased with the outcome, having been able to refuse Forest and Premier League rivals Fulham separate bids for the Egyptian, and have expressed their feelings with a low blow to the City Ground.
“If there had been an adequate offer for him or us, we would have considered it,” The Eagles’ board spokesman, Alex Hellman, told Frankfurter Rundschau.
He went on: “In layman’s terms, that means that if there had been an appealing club with good earnings, we would not have kept it. If Manchester City had stated they wanted Marmoush and offered him four times the salary, I wouldn’t have been able to tell him, “This is the opportunity of a lifetime.” But there’s an eagle pounding in your heart, and it’s good to be here.
“In this scenario, several things came together. But if Manchester City had come knocking, the check would have been greater, and I would have argued that we had to take it because we have a responsibility to the club.”
The 25-year-old, who scored 17 goals and assisted six times last season, rose to the top of Forest’s priority list after deals for Eddie Nketiah and Santiago Gimenez fell through.
The former was unable to reach an agreement and instead switched to Crystal Palace. The latter then refused Forest’s approaches as they worked toward an accord.
