SUMMARY
- Manchester United is reportedly scouting Michael Olise ahead of the 2024-25 season.
- Let's explore why Olise is a better fit for United over the likes of Jadon Sancho and Antony.
It’s going to be a busy few weeks at Manchester United with the 2023-24 season nearing its end. It has been a dismal season for Manchester United, having failed to even secure a Champions League spot for the next season. However, with reports emerging of a busy transfer window for the English giants, United has reportedly set their sights on Michael Olise.
Michael Olise, who plays for the Premier League side Crystal Palace, has been one of the best performers in the league this season. Olise, who’s allegedly a boyhood United fan, has been targeted by the Red Devils in the upcoming summer transfer window. United believe that Olise would be the perfect solution to their struggles with the position of wingers.
🚨 Manchester United are frontrunners to sign Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise this summer.
(Source: ESPN) pic.twitter.com/B9M7QRc4FF
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) May 3, 2024
Over the last few years, United has spent heavily on acquiring a right-winger. The club spent a combined $186.5 million on signing the likes of Jadon Sancho and Antony. However, while Sancho was forced out of the club on loan, Antony’s struggles have been a major headache for coach Erik ten Hag.
Although, there have been talks of bringing back Sancho to the club after his resurgence at Borussia Dortmund. However, Sancho’s dispute with Ten Hag and Antony’s consistent lean patch has led to United looking in the market for different options. And here’s where Michael Olise will come in and be the better fit for the club among the three wingers for the following three reasons.
Michael Olise is a complete modern winger
The Premier League is unarguably one of the toughest soccer leagues in the world. Due to the fast-paced, competitive nature, and the hectic schedule of the league, the Premier League is also extremely physically demanding. As compared to both Antony and Jadon Sancho, Michael Olise is physically better suited to the demands of the league.
Michael Olise ticks the Box in almost every single element of play that I want in a RW
– final 3rd combination Play
– crossing
– finishing
– tight space dribblingHowever, one of the parts of his game that is underrated is his defensive output. His demeanour is one of quite a… pic.twitter.com/rRc2Kg7XTJ
— EverydayMUFC2 (@EverydayMUFC22) January 3, 2024
Besides being fast-paced, Olise has been putting in great shifts of defensive work throughout this season. The 22-year-old has 55 recoveries this season and also has a tackle success rate of 47%. He has also won possession of the ball in 50/50s 37 times. These numbers are rather high when in comparison to Sancho and Antony, who have struggled to make an impact both in attack and in defense (via Premier League).
Sancho and Antony’s combined numbers in defense are incredibly low when compared to Michael Olise. With the constantly changing nature of the game, Olise is much more of a complete modern winger than the Dortmund star and the Brazilian winger.
Michael Olise has proven himself in the Premier League
It has been observed in the past quite often that soccer stars, no matter how talented they are, struggle to hack it in the Premier League. Be it the league’s demands or the constant pressure from the fans and media, even big stars find it difficult to quickly adapt to the Premier League. This perhaps has been the case with both Jadon Sancho and Antony.
Both Sancho and Antony’s arrival in Manchester was hugely celebrated by the club supporters. However, the two have hardly looked like their old selves while playing for United. Jadon Sancho and Antony have scored a combined 14 goals in a combined 110 appearances in the Premier League. In comparison, Michael Olise is a much safer choice for Manchester United, having already proven himself in the Premier League.
🔥Michael Olise as an FPL option🤔
🦅2nd highest xGI, most big chances(3) created & key passes(9) amongst Palace attackers in the last two games
🦅Took all corners(14) since Roy took overAre you considering the Palace attacker?pic.twitter.com/Fts29jI63D#FPL #FPLCommunity
— ALLABOUTFPL (@allaboutfpl) April 12, 2023
To put things into context, Michael Olise alone has scored 11 goals in 79 appearances in England’s top-flight soccer league so far. Moreover, Olise also has the ability to play as a number 10 and create big chances for his team, creating already eight chances so far this season for Crystal Palace. These stats provide further impetus for Manchester United and make him a better fit than Sancho and Antony.
Jadon Sancho and Erik ten Hag’s dispute gives way for Michael Olise
Following Jadon Sancho’s memorable performance against PSG in the first leg of the UCL semifinals, questions have been raised at Manchester United’s management, and especially at Erik ten Hag. There have been talks of bringing back the English international to Manchester United for the new season. However, Sancho’s dispute with Ten Hag continues to come in between them even today.
Following Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho’s dispute, the latter has remained banished from the first team, with his last appearance for United coming way back in August last year. With neither Sancho issuing an apology to his manager nor Ten Hag refused to back down, Sancho was forced out of the club and went to his former club, Borussia Dortmund, on loan.
🔴🗣️ Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag shares his thoughts on Jadon Sancho’s performance for Dortmund vs PSG, praising the on-loan United winger 👏 pic.twitter.com/iaUlyUy63C
— FIVE (@FIVEUK) May 2, 2024
Reflecting on Sancho’s recent performance against PSG, Ten Hag praised the 24-year-old. However, the Dutch coach refused to spill the beans on Sancho’s potential future, if any, at United. If neither Sancho nor Ten Hag is willing to bury the hatchet, Manchester United will have no other option than to turn to Michael Olise and sign the Crystal Palace winger in the summer transfer window.
