Chelsea are back in action once again in the Premier League this weekend as they travel away from London to take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
The Blues have three more games left to play in the division before the end of the 2023/24 campaign, and they are hoping to seal a place in either the Europa Conference League or the Europa League for next term.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side did not have any European football to contend with this season but are currently sat in seventh place and only two points behind Newcastle United in sixth place.
This means that there is still plenty for the London-based giants to play for over their next few matches and every point will count in the race to secure a top-six finish.
However, Todd Boehly and his team are already looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window and what they could do to improve the playing squad for the 2024/25 campaign, with a Premier League star reportedly on their radar.
Chelsea’s interest in French magician
According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea are one of the English clubs lining up a summer swoop to sign Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Michael Olise.
Boehly is eyeing up a deal to snap up the France U21 international to bolster Pochettino’s options at the top end of the pitch, with the Blues said to be ‘in the mix’ for the Eagles star.
The report adds that Manchester United are one of the other teams interested in a possible move to sign the former Reading attacker ahead of next season.
TEAMtalk also reveals that Palace will be willing to accept a total package of £65m for Olise this summer, and are prepared to listen to offers that start with £50m upfront and a further £15m in add-ons.
However, it is unclear who is currently winning the race between the Blues and the Red Devils, as they are both seemingly competing to land the left-footed whiz.
This revelation comes after TBRFootball reported earlier this week that Chelsea would be willing to offer a player in exchange for the French starlet, in order to subsidise the cost of any deal.
The outlet named centre-forward Armando Broja, who is currently on loan with Fulham, versatile defender Trevoh Chalobah, and former England international Raheem Sterling as three players who could be offered in exchange for Olise.
Boehly and Pochettino must now work to convince Palace to part ways with the exceptional midfielder as he could arrive as their next version of Cole Palmer, who also joined from a Premier League rival last summer before becoming a star at Stamford Bridge.
Cole Palmer’s route to stardom at Chelsea
The Blues swooped to sign the English youngster from Manchester City for a fee of £42.5m last summer, with an initial outlay of £40m for the talented gem.
During his time with the Cityzens, the left-footed maestro produced six goals and two assists in 41 appearances in all competitions for Pep Guardiola.
This season, the England international has racked up a staggering 26 goals and 13 assists in 46 games for Chelsea in all competitions, which shows that he has taken his game to a whole new level since his move to Stamford Bridge.
At the age of 22, Palmer, who has created 14 ‘big chances’ in the top-flight, also has plenty of years left ahead of him to develop further and improve as a player, which means that he could be a terrific player for Chelsea in the long-term, as well as the here and now.
Boehly could now land the club’s next left-footed magician in an attacking midfield position by winning the race to sign Olise from Palace this summer.
Why Chelsea should sign Michael Olise
Like Palmer, the English-born wizard is a left-footed star who mainly operates on the right side of the attack but can also play as a number ten.
He has been in phenomenal form for Palace when fit this season in the Premier League and has showcased his ability to score and create goals from an attacking midfield position.
Olise currently ranks within the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.66), the top 4% for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.36), and the top 2% for shot-creating actions per 90 (6.31).
This shows that the Eagles star has been one of the best players in his position at scoring goals from open play, creating high-quality chances for his teammates, and being involved in shot-creating actions on a regular basis.
Olise, who was hailed as a possible “world beater” by analyst Ben Mattinson last month, has the quality to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch week-in-week-out, which suggests that he has the potential to replicate, to some degree, Palmer’s success at Stamford Bridge.
23/24 Premier League
Cole Palmer
Michael Olise
Appearances
31
17
Goals
21
9
Minutes per goal
112
122
Assists
9
4
Minutes per assist
262
276
Key passes per game
2.0
1.9
As you can see in the table above, there has not been a significant difference in their output in the final third in the Premier League so far this season.
Palmer has scored and assisted goals more frequently than the Palace magician but there is not a huge gap between them when it comes to minutes per goal involvement.
At the age of 22, Olise is also another player who would come in to make an immediate impact whilst also having the time left ahead of him to be a star for many more years to come.
