He is one of the French people in form at the end of the season. Like a fish to water under the orders of Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace, Michale Olise (22 years old) continues to perform well with the Eagles. The right winger who can play attacking midfielder has been able to make the most of his playing time despite injuries as he has 10 goals and 6 assists in 19 matches. Interesting figures which allowed his name to emerge shortly before the announcement of Didier Deschamps’ list. Ultimately not called up for the French team for Euro 2024, he remains at the disposal of Thierry Henry for the French U23 team with a view to the Paris Olympic Games. Unless Kingsley Coman’s condition prevents him from competing in the competition and then that could reshuffle the cards.
Regardless, the French coach’s decision comes as a surprise across the Channel where Michael Olise’s performances in the Premier League were considered extraordinary. Oliver Glasner, the latter’s coach, expressed his astonishment: “When we see him play in recent weeks, he has very strong arguments, he really shows exceptional performances. But I don’t want to give advice to Didier Deschamps. Their team qualified; they have players who were responsible for qualifying for the Euros and it’s not so easy to then drop them and say “okay, thank you very much, you did a good job qualifying, but now with the Euro, thank you” and then name another player. Sometimes you have to make very, very difficult decisions, but from my point of view, with everything I’ve seen from Michael, everything I see every day, with his talent, with his quality, with his competitiveness , I would say yes, he would have deserved it, but it’s Didier Deschamps’ decision.” And this decision was not without consequences.
Gareth Southgate has expressed his interest
Indeed, Michael Olise has the specificity of being able to play for four different selections. Born in London, England, he can play for the Three Lions in addition to the Blues and Algeria since his mother is Franco-Algerian. His father is Nigerian. In other words, if France has the advantage, the other three selections would also benefit from having the favors of Michael Olise. While the Algerian press regularly announces it on the Fennecs side, Michael Olise has always given priority to the Blues with whom he played in the 2019 Toulon Tournament. He even played in the last Euro U21 in 2023, but was injured during the competition. In Thierry Henry’s plans for the Olympic Games, failing to have been in those of Didier Deschamps for this Euro 2024, he is also appreciated by the English coach, Gareth Southgate.
The latter explains that he will maintain his interest in the player if he ever wishes to choose to play for the Three Lions. “He would need a transfer of association. This process would take some time. He’s obviously a very good player, he didn’t make their team. Maybe they’ll take him to the Olympics, I don’t know. He is a player who should interest us, because he is a very good player, but it is not possible to do all that in time for the Euro., he declared. A scrutinized player, Michael Olise therefore appeals to at least two selections other than France. It remains to be seen what Didier Deschamps plans for him and whether this could push the Crystal Palace player to opt for another national team.
