How Michael Olise compares to current Chelsea attacking options; puts Palmer in the shade

Michael Olise is edging closer and closer to a big-money move to Chelsea this summer so TT has decided to take an in-depth look into how his stats from last season compare with the other wide attacking players at Stamford Bridge.

After a stellar 2023/24 Premier League season that saw him score 10 goals and provide six assists despite being limited to just 14 starts, Olise was always likely to be one of the most in-demand players of the summer transfer window.

Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle and Bayern Munich have all been credited with a firm interest in the Crystal Palace winger, but reports have since emerged that Chelsea have stolen a march in the race for the France Under-21 star by lodging a bid to match his £60million release clause.

As TEAMtalk exclusively revealed, the Blues’ have agreed personal terms with Olise. And while their offer to Palace is split into instalments and contains performance-related add-ons, meaning it does not necessarily trigger the player’s contracted buyout clause in the way a lump-sum offer would – they are willing to pay above market value to get a deal done.

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Chelsea tried to sign Olise last summer, triggering the £35m release clause in his previous Palace deal, but the player turned down the move and renewed terms at Selhurst Park. Now, though, it appears the Blues are close to taking him back to the club where he was once an academy prospect.

A big-money move for a left-footed wide forward who prefers to operate from the right flank would not address an area of obvious need within Enzo Maresca’s squad due to the fact that the Blues’ star man of 2023/24, Cole Palmer, fits a similar description.

But Palmer differs stylistically from Olise. The England attacking midfielder isn’t as fast as the Palace player, nor is he as gifted a dribbler. But Palmer is a more refined finisher and is among the Premier League’s best when it comes to creating chances for himself and others in confined central zones. He can also play as a No.10, meaning he and Olise could conceivable coexist in the same frontline.

Olise stats show up Chelsea rivals

An analysis of Chelsea’s other options in the wide areas illustrates just how much of an upgrade Olise’s introduction would represent.

Olise’s return of 10 league goals this past season is double the tally misfiring Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk managed, while the 22-year-old signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for £89m 18 months ago provided only two assists.

Noni Madueke, the English wide man Chelsea signed from PSV for £28.5m in January 2023, equalled Mudryk’s tally of five goals and two assists. Raheem Sterling was slightly more productive, with eight goals and four assists, which still left him short of Olise’s return in both categories.

And although Palmer directly contributed to more goals (33 – 22 goals, 11 assists) than anyone in the Premier League in 2023/24, his combined goals and assists average per 90 minutes was 1.14; only marginally better than Olise’s 1.13. What’s more, nine of Palmer’s goals came from the penalty spot, compared to just one for Olise.

In fact, Olise’s average of 0.64 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes was not only significantly better than Palmer’s 0.45 but it also ranked him in the 99th percentile among attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s five biggest domestic leagues.

None of the Chelsea quartet could match Olise when it came to shot-creating actions per 90. Palmer, with 5.59, came closest to the Palace star’s 5.79. Madueke averaged 4.35 and Sterling came in at 3.87, while Mudryk averaged just 3.43.

The dynamic Selhurst Park star’s average of 2.23 successful take-ons per 90 was better than any of Chelsea’s current wide options with the exception of Madueke, who averaged 3.16.

Olise no luxury player

Olise’s off-ball work shone brighter last term than any of the four Chelsea attackers, too. He ranked in the 90th percentile among attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s five major leagues when it came to both interceptions and blocks per 90 minutes, with 0.78 and 1.48, respectively. The nearest any of the Stamford Bridge men came was Palmer’s 0.69 interceptions (83rd percentile) and Madueke’s 0.94 blocks (51st percentile).

Amid concerns that they will struggle to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules without significant sales this summer, and having already spent huge sums on players of a similar profile, Chelsea’s pursuit of Olise might, on the surface, seem frivolous.

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But the statistics clearly show that the former Reading forward would represent a stark upgrade on the players already at Maresca’s disposal in the wide areas in almost all categories – with the exception of the outstanding Palmer, whose positional versatility could help accommodate Olise.

After Chelsea’s expensively purchased yet young, inexperienced side mustered a strong second half of the Premier League season in 2023/24, rising from mid-table mediocrity to a respectable sixth-place finish, the addition of Olise would be a huge boon to their prospects to getting back into the Champions League.