It seems strange to write that a former Reading and Crystal Palace midfielder from Hammersmith, London is about to set the Bundesliga alight.
It is probably too far to write that at €53m, Bayern Munich have a bargain on their hands.
Yet, here I am, exulting over Michael Olise joining the Bavarian Giants.
I suppose the only remaining question is whether Olise is a ‘prospect’ or a ‘ready-made’ star.
At 22, Olise is yet to achieve the heights of France compatriot Kylian Mbappé or his new teammates, such as Leroy Sané or Jamal Musiala.
Between them, they have won World Cups, Champions Leagues, Premier Leagues, Bundesligas, Supercups and too many individual accolades at club and international level to note here.
Olise starred as France won an Olympic Silver Medal this summer but to compare CVs is a futile exercise.
Olise has been biding his time with Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Since signing from Reading for €9m in 2021, Olise made 90 appearances, scoring 16 goals and providing 25 assists. However, these stats are incomplete without context.
On 9 April 2023, Olise became the youngest player to assist three goals from open play in a single Premier League match in a 5–1 victory against Leeds United.
In May, Olise became the first Palace player to register ten assists in a single Premier League season.
Stand-out performances in wins against West Ham (5-2), Manchester United (4-0), and Wolves (3-1) lifted Palace to 19 points from a possible 21 in his final seven games for the south London side.
Flashscore awarded Olise a 9.9 in the West Ham win. Only one performance has ever been rated higher (Erling Haaland with a 10 for five goals vs Leipzig).
His contributions transformed Crystal Palace from a lower-half side to a top-10 team.
Olise was rewarded with Palace’s Players’ Player of the Season and Goal of the Season.
Amidst transfer speculation in January, former Palace boss, Hodgson, said “[it] would be a sad day for the club.”
Bayern overcome interest from other Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle United to sign the France international.
Now the time has come for Olise to shine on the world stage.
His Bayern career has started with a bang.
In his first start for his new side, it took Olise just 12 minutes to open the scoring in a friendly against Swiss side, Grasshoppers.
Olise had danced through the Grasshopper defence in the third minute, nearly setting up Kane with a magical assist but the England captain wasted a golden chance.
Olise took no chances with his goal, volleying a loose ball into the top corner from 18 yards.
It was the ability that Crystal Palace fans have got used to at Selhurst Park.
Olise’s ball control, vision, and pace are attributes that will open up Bundesliga defences this season and it will be exciting to see him try.
With the right management, Olise could be the signing of the season and Bayern should return to their dominant winning ways.
Suddenly, €53m is looking cheap.
