Few wingers are in better shape than Michael Olise in England. Last Saturday, at Selhurst Park, the young Frenchman (22 years old) turned the London derby against Brentford (3-1), on behalf of the 20th day of the championship. If the very talented Keane Lewis-Potter stood out first for the Bees, opening the scoring while scoring his second goal of the season (2nd, 0-1), Michael Olise responded to him in the wake of a acrobatic finish to say the least (14th, 1-1). Then, the latter struck again, this time to destroy the opposing hopes, after having fixed the entire Brentford defense (58th, 3-1). A double and a victory, a day at work for the London native.
It must be said that Michael Olise has had a string of great performances, since he had already shaken the nets at Stamford Bridge on December 27, even if it was his friend Noni Madueke who had the last word (2-1). Against Chelsea, the Eagles’ right winger caused many problems for Levi Colwill, a trained central defender forced to help out on the left lane. Often caught in one-on-one situations, the Blues nugget was unable to contain the elusive Olise, too lively in his support. It’s hard to blame him. And it is not Joško Gvardiol who will say the opposite, because Manchester City also suffered from the composure of the former Reading player. Last December 16, Crystal Palace went for the draw point at the Etihad thanks to the decisive penalty from its 22-year-old nugget, in stoppage time (90th, 2-2). Also against Brighton, on the 21st of the same month, Olise put himself forward by delivering a delightful cross towards Jordan Ayew, scorer (1-1).
Aborted transfer, serious injury… so what?
Michael Olise’s return to the forefront is not to be taken lightly. On June 25, with the Bleuets, during the second day of the group stage of the Euro Espoirs, the young promise scored the only goal of the match against Norway with a clear strike (0-1) . Unfortunately, a few moments later, he gave up his place, hit in the thigh. A more serious injury than expected. Indeed, the Crystal Palace striker was finally away from the field until November 11, 2023 and a match against Everton in the Premier League. In total: 11 days missed. A lot for Roy Hodgson’s club, little known for its offensive play.
Worse still, during the summer, Michael Olise had to face numerous requests, and more particularly that of Chelsea. Having gone through the Blues academy, the right winger could have joined his brother in southwest London, who plays in the youth categories. With its policy focused on developing the best talents from around the world, Chelsea were very close to signing the former Reading playmaker in the Championship, before he finally decided to extend the adventure to Crystal Palace. A fairly surprising decision even if Mauricio Pochettino and his family can now benefit from another left leg, that of Cole Palmer, still XXL on Saturday against Luton Town (2-3).
The observation is simple, Michael Olise is a player with character. His celebrations – which have gone viral across the Channel – and his arrogance are justified, while his duet with Eberechi Eze walks with the fire of God. The two are similar in the course and progress hand in hand. The 25-year-old had revealed himself at QPR, in the Championship, before joining Crystal Palace in the summer of 2020, alongside a certain Marc Guehi, another essential element in the ranks of the Eagles, where Olise had landed a year later, in 2021, after exploding at Reading in the second division. With 5 goals and 1 assist to his credit, in just 9 Premier League matches, the international hopeful (7 caps, 1 goal) has definitely regained his splendor. Injured, he will be missed tonight against Everton in the FA Cup.
Yesterday at a press conference, Roy Hodgson gave his news. “As you probably saw in the Brentford game, Michael Olise had to come off right at the end. He felt discomfort in his hamstring during his last sprint of the match. Unfortunately for us, he will not participate in this match. We’ll have to treat him and hope he comes back as soon as possible. How long has he been gone? I can’t answer that question, I’m afraid.” A small setback for the player, who has seen others. This does not prevent clubs from being interested in him. This Thursday, The Sun ensures that Manchester United are interested in him and even intends to make him Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first recruit. Arsenal have also been cited as a suitor, as have Liverpool according to the Daily Mail. We imagine that Chelsea also still have their eye on him. The next few months are likely to be busy for Olise.
