Should 22-year-old London-born France youth international be Manchester United's priority transfer target?
Michael Olise, the promising Crystal Palace winger has recently emerged as a transfer target for several top clubs. London-born Olise, was part of Chelsea's youth academy between 2009 and 2016. He later joined Reading's academy in 2017 after a brief spell at Manchester City.
It is at Reading where he went pro and made his first-team debut in the EFL Championship at 18 years and three months against Leeds United. In the 2020-21 season, he played 46 games across competitions for the Royals, scoring seven goals and giving 12 assists. He deservedly won the 'EFL Young Player of the Year' award in 2021, and unsurprisingly, Crystal Palace activated his £8.37m release clause and brought him at Selhurst Park.
In his two years at Crystal Palace, Olise has played 82 games across competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing 22 assists. The 22-year-old signed a four-year contract at Crystal Palace in August and the new deal includes a release clause of around £60 million, (per the Mirror) which comes into effect in the summer.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS Group now having control of football operations at United, there will be a reported attempt to offload several first-team players to raise funds for the summer transfer, as per the Express. The Red Devils' woeful attack have also scored just 39 Premier League this season - a disastrous output as per their lofty standards.
Anthony Martial will be out of contract at the end of the season and Jadon Sancho may be sold, especially after his public fallout with Erik ten Hag. Mason Greenwood will possibly be sold this summer as per a Football365 report and £82m summer transfer signing Antony has struggled to give the desired output. Considering all aforementioned scenarios, a new acquisition in Olise can help revitalize Manchester United.
Reasons why Michael Olise should be Manchester United's priority transfer target
In his 11 Premier League games this season, Olise has scored six goals and provided three assists. Olise has won 3.46 fouls per 90 this season, has a impressive passing percentage of 80.2 and a dribble success rate of 69.2.
He's a set-piece specialist with an excellent first touch. The Premier League has been the stage of dead-ball geniuses like David Beckham, James Ward-Prowse, Dimitri Payet, and Olise has also joined the bandwagon. His stunning injury-time free-kick equaliser against Manchester United last season was a testament to his set-piece abilities.
Olise also crosses the ball more than seven times a game, and also helps his defenders by tracking back, blocking passes and making crucial interceptions. He has won 57.1% of his tackles, 52.5% of his duels, made 41 recoveries and has had 48 touches in the opposition box. He's six-feet tall with a long-looking frame, is deceptively strong, and uses his body to his advantage. With United needing a wide creator with a pass-first mentality, Olise could be the right choice for them to provide a balance to their frontline.
The Frenchman can influence the game from the wide and central channels, creating 22 chances so far, and has an explosive pace. He's just 22 years old and is already considered one of the brightest talents in the Premier League. For INEOS, he could prove to be a safe investment for the present and future, looking at the aforementioned statistics. Although Crystal Palace will not want to lose Olise, they would be unable to stop him from leaving if his release clause is met.