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Riyad Mahrez Leaves Manchester City for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli

Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez applauds the fans after the end of the English FA Cup semifinal between Manchester City and Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday, April 22, 2023. (AP)
Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez applauds the fans after the end of the English FA Cup semifinal between Manchester City and Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday, April 22, 2023. (AP)
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Riyad Mahrez Leaves Manchester City for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli

Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez applauds the fans after the end of the English FA Cup semifinal between Manchester City and Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday, April 22, 2023. (AP)
Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez applauds the fans after the end of the English FA Cup semifinal between Manchester City and Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday, April 22, 2023. (AP)

Riyad Mahrez is the latest Premier League player to head to Saudi Arabia after signing with Al-Ahli.

The Algeria international was a key player in Leicester's shocking title win in 2016 and then won the league four more times with Manchester City. He leaves after a season in which City won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.

“I’ve made a lifetime of wonderful memories and the manner of our Premier League title wins and the battles we’ve had with Liverpool and, last year, Arsenal, underlined our collective desire and mentality to be the best,” Mahrez said in a statement on City's website.

Mahrez scored 15 goals in 47 games in his final season with City but didn't start in some of the biggest matches. He was an unused substitute in both the Champions League and FA Cup finals, and he only made one substitute appearance from the Champions League quarterfinals onward.

At Al-Ahli, he will join Roberto Firmino, who was formerly with Liverpool, and former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Al-Ahli, from the Saudi port city of Jeddah, said the 32-year-old Mahrez signed a contract through the end of the 2026-27 season.

Born in the Paris suburbs, Mahrez came through the French lower leagues before joining Leicester in the English second tier in January 2014. The club was promoted to the Premier League in his first season and Mahrez was crucial to its sensational title win in 2016 with his 17 goals.

Mahrez's heroics at Leicester led to him being named African Player of the Year for 2016. At international level, he captained Algeria to the 2019 African Cup of Nations title.

Al-Ahli is also set to sign one of Europe's highest-rated young coaches in Matthias Jaissle, Austrian club Salzburg said in a statement confirming the 35-year-old German had been released from his duties.

Salzburg said Jaissle asked for a move two days before the new Austrian league season starts, and that talks between the club and Al-Ahli were under way.

Jaissle was praised for reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League with Salzburg in his first season in charge in 2021-22.

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Egypt Forward Omar Marmoush Lighting up the Bundesliga

Frankfurt's Egyptian forward #07 Omar Marmoush celebrates his 1-1 during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Bayern Munich in Frankfurt, western Germany on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
Frankfurt's Egyptian forward #07 Omar Marmoush celebrates his 1-1 during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Bayern Munich in Frankfurt, western Germany on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
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Egypt Forward Omar Marmoush Lighting up the Bundesliga

Frankfurt's Egyptian forward #07 Omar Marmoush celebrates his 1-1 during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Bayern Munich in Frankfurt, western Germany on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
Frankfurt's Egyptian forward #07 Omar Marmoush celebrates his 1-1 during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Bayern Munich in Frankfurt, western Germany on October 6, 2024. (AFP)

Egypt forward Omar Marmoush is the man of the moment in the Bundesliga after a blistering start to the season for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Marmoush denied Bayern Munich a win in a thrilling game Sunday with a stoppage-time equalizer that made it 3-3. It was his second goal of the game. He also set up the other for Hugo Ekitiké, when he ran clear of Dayot Upamecano on a counterattack.

"Marmoush is a player who’s only going to get better with time," Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said. "What he did for Ekitiké’s goal is not normal. To push past Upa with strength, no one did that before for the whole season.

"And then to make the right decision at the end, the quality in his strike, and the speed. Sometimes he looks quite relaxed, then when he gets going, he’s really fast."

Marmoush has been stealing the attention from Bayern star Harry Kane, who failed to score Sunday and has five goals from six Bundesliga games this season.

Marmoush, who has now scored in five games straight, has eight, while he has also set up another six for his Frankfurt teammates.

"We’re like a family," he said. "You see that on the field, when we’re celebrating, the ones who didn’t play (join), we celebrate as a team."

Marmoush appears to have made a jump in performance since last season, when he scored 12 goals and set up nine in his 29 Bundesliga appearances.

Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller said he had made a "little deal" before the season with Marmoush, but wouldn’t reveal what it is.

"I told him that a second year with us would do him good because he’s on the way up and hasn’t reached the end," Toppmöller said. "And you can see that in this fantastic season."

The 25-year-old Marmoush is the latest in a long line of forwards who have excelled at Frankfurt, after Randal Kolo Muani, Sébastien Haller, Luka Jović and Jay-Jay Okocha.

Marmoush has had to be patient, working his way through at Wolfsburg, St. Pauli and Stuttgart after joining the former from Cairo-based Wadi Degla SC in 2017.

It’s only since he joined Frankfurt in 2023 that the tireless attacker has added goals to his repertoire.

On Sunday, he combined well with Ekitiké, while Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe headed the ball into his path for Marmoush's second goal.

"When I came last season, we took time to play together and to know what he likes on the pitch, what I like also, and I think in time we just created a connection," Ekitiké said. "Today he had two goals, one assist, So, yeah, he helped the team a lot."

Marmoush’s transformation into a goal-getter is good news for Egypt, which struggled for them without the injured Mohamed Salah at the African Cup of Nations in January.

Marmoush only scored one as the seven-time champion lost on penalties to Congo in the round of 16.

Next up for Frankfurt is a visit to defending champion Bayer Leverkusen after the international break.