Given the level of some of his performances this season, it feels somewhat strange to say Crystal Palace paid less than €10 million to sign Michael Olise from Reading three years ago. It has certainly proven a bargain signing for the Eagles, who will possibly cash in five or six times as much for his services this summer.
When great Premier League wingers today are discussed, the left-footed ones who predominantly play on the right, the name of Mohamed Salah rightly stands out, and there are much younger ones, like Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka, who also deserve to be in such conversations. However, at the age of 22, Olise is arguably right up there with the latter two, even though he hasn’t yet had the chance to prove his quality on the great stage that Champions League football sets. It appears he has already outgrown Palace, with all due respect to the South London club, who will again be happy with staying well away from relegation battle and nothing more, despite the fantastic run of form they’ve been on lately.
It comes as no surprise that Olise has a number of options when it comes to taking the next step in a promising career.
Chelsea
Last summer, Chelsea reportedly triggered the £35m release clause in Olise’s contract, taking the matter out of Palace’s hands, but only to get snubbed by the player himself who reinforced his commitment to his current club by signing a new four-year deal. There is still a release clause, but it’s now believed to be worth between £50m and £60m.
Olise’s decision to turn down a move to Stamford Bridge has turned out to have been a good one. The London Blues made a number of big-money signings, such as midfielders Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion and Romeo Lavia from Southampton, as well as forwards Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. All excellent players in their own right, but manager Mauricio Pochettino has so far failed to turn his talented…
Source link : https://www.soccernews.com/michael-olise-where-next/371264/
Author : Veselin Trajkovic
Publish date : 2024-05-08 22:01:15
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