Why Michael Olise is attracting the heavy-hitters Premium

Football's silly season is here with top clubs eyeing superstars like Mbappe and rising talents like Olise.

With Europe’s top leagues winding down and the summer transfer window set to open in less than a month, football’s silly season is truly upon us.

The big clubs — in their bids to enhance, rebuild, rejuvenate, or complete their squads — are looking largely at two categories of players: the bona fide superstar who may be prised away from another heavy-hitter in one fashion or the other; and the potential superstar of tomorrow who has shown signs of breaking out but may still offer good value for money.

Kylian Mbappe is the most prominent example of the first category, with the French sensation announcing that he will leave Paris St. Germain as a free agent after the expiry of his contract. Real Madrid is reportedly preparing to receive Mbappe after the Champions League final.

Michael Olise is fast emerging as one of the more interesting options in the second category. The Crystal Palace winger has starred in the Eagles’ resurgence under new manager Oliver Glasner, showing off his dazzling talent and putting himself, front and centre, in the shop window.

Last weekend, Olise delivered another impressive display as Palace registered its fifth win in six Premier League games by beating Wolves 3-1. In the first half, he opened the scoring with a delightful curling strike and played a key role in the buildup to the second scored by Jean-Philippe Mateta. He then assisted Eberechi Eze’s second-half goal, which wrapped up victory.

Five days before the Wolves performance at Molineux, Olise scored two delightful goals in a 4-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Selhurst Park. 

The 22-year-old gave his side the lead after collecting a throw and nimbly sidestepping a Casemiro challenge. With no United player attempting to close him down, he was able to unleash a low shot from just inside the box. Olise’s second came from the edge of the box, with his first touch setting up a blistering left-footer that Andre Onana could not deal with.