Since Reece James stormed through the Championship in 2018/19 and took the Wigan captaincy as an 18-year-old on loan in his first foray into senior football, only nine other teenagers have hit 3,000 minutes in a 46-game season in the second division.
James’ rise at Chelsea came a year later alongside Mason Mount – one of the other nine – while Trevoh Chalobah graduated from being a perennial youth loanee to first-team player two seasons later. Since then, Ian Maatsen is one of five players to achieve such a feat after 2019/20.
He is now competing for a role in Mauricio Pochettino’s senior setup. Other names that jump out are Alex Scott – set for £25m plus a move to the Premier League from Bristol City – and Tottenham midfielder Oliver Skipp, who is now playing regular top-flight games.
For Blues fans, there is another who fits the bill and is of increasing interest. Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise.
Formerly a Cobham player himself, let go at the age of 14, as was Declan Rice, Olise is now an established Premier League star and is attracting interest from teams already in and competing for European places. At 21, he is now one of the most sought-after players in his position.
A left-footed right winger, something Chelsea certainly know a lot about having signed four of them in the past 12 months as well as losing development team Tudor Mendel-Idowu on a free and currently owning Hakim Ziyech, Olise is strongly linked with the club.
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He is a player who reflects many of Ziyech’s positive attributes with a high volume of crosses and take-ons from the right flank. He can cut back on his wicked left stick and seek out teammates across the park. His defensive skills are also among the best for wingers, and is in the top 15 percent for tackles, interceptions and blocks on FBREF.
Basically, he’s a bit of a gem and certainly one that continues to impress. Due to arriving early on the scene, Olise feels that he has been there for a while. He has a healthy 8,500 league minutes at present with 11 goals but 29 assists to show for his work.
Far from an output machine, there is style and substance to Olise’s game, which made him the 10th best producer of goals in 2020/21 as an 18-year-old in the Championship. The second youngest player in the top ten was still five years older than him. He is now waiting for the chance to prove that, like James, he can manage at Chelsea.
The Blues are said to be exploring the possibility of signing Olise, and that makes complete sense. They want to find a player capable of operating on the right as well as slotting into a No.10 role. Olise fits the bill, and with a release clause of £35 million ($44 million), the young Frenchman is as cheap as it comes for the relative quality.
Although it is believed that Chelsea will override the clause in his contract to establish better payment terms with Palace, it is still a low figure for a player who has openly demonstrated his ability in two years in the Premier League. Add in Pochettino’s track record of not only improving youngsters but also strikers and it’s a promising thought.
Christopher Nkunku, 25, is already capable of moving between roles across the front line as well as operating as a striker himself. Should his eye for output combine with Olise’s silky smooth play, it could be one of the most exciting partnerships out there. Despite a relatively small tally of just four league goals in his 43 starts, Olise’s creative acts are top notch.
“Michael is a special talent,” Palace team-mate Joel Ward said of him earlier this year, showing the respect in which he is held. “The world is his oyster and he’s just getting better and better game by game, so I think he’s going to go to new heights and set the bar. If he carries on like that, he’s going to go on to special things.
“The [Olise and teammate Eberechi Eze] sure make my life a little bit easier when I can just give them the ball and they go and do their magic!”
The concern is that Manchester City are also expressing an interest and they are preparing to lose Riyad Mahrez, opening up a vacancy in the side. At Chelsea there is a smaller gap. Noni Madueke, a 21-year-old left-footed right winger, was signed for £35m in January. Diego Moreira and Angelo Gabriel are players of huge promise currently being tested in pre-season and Raheem Sterling has also been selected to play from that side so far in America.
That’s certainly one thing that could stand in their way, another could be his recent injury, as in action for France’s U21s at the European Championships, Olise suffered a massive hamstring blow and is expected to miss the start of the 2023/24 season.
“We’ve known since the injury that it will take a while for him to get fit again,” revealed manager Roy Hodgson. “It was a serious injury that required surgery. He’s doing well in his rehabilitation, but it’s going to take a bit longer for him to recover.
“At the moment we just hope that the rehabilitation will go well and that we will get him back as soon as possible. But we certainly won’t be seeing him for a while.”
Chelsea have had a torrid time with injuries over the past two years and hardly need another player who could be a flight risk for the new season, but Olise’s record outside of this latest setback. He has been a consistent fixture at Palace and Reading in a senior career that is already in its fifth year.
Outside of this issue, Chelsea have the chance to make a smart signing in a key area and it only makes all the sense.
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