Chelsea have ‘magical’ transfer chance as Christopher Nkunku’s dream partner emerges for $44m

Chelsea transfer news: Blues have more than one reason to beat Manchester City over signing of Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise as Mauricio Pochettino plan emerges

Since Reece James clinched the league title in 2018/19, taking the captaincy at Wigan as an 18-year-old loanee on his first venture into senior football, just nine other teenagers have reached 3,000 minutes in a 46-match season in Division Two.

James’s ascent to Chelsea came a year later alongside Mason Mount – one of nine others – as Trevoh Chalobah progressed from youth loan perennial to first team player two seasons later. Ian Maatsen has since been one of five players to achieve such a feat after 2019/20.

He is now vying for a place in Mauricio Pochettino’s senior squad. Other names popping up include Alex Scott – set for a £25m+ Premier League transfer from Bristol City – and Tottenham midfielder Oliver Skipp, who now plays regular top-flight matches. For Blues fans, there’s another one that fits the bill and is gaining more and more attention. Michael Olise of Crystal Palace.

Olise was a Cobham player herself and let go at the age of 14, just like Declan Rice was. Olise is now an established Premier League star, attracting interest from clubs already there and competing for European places. At 21, he is now one of the most sought after players in his role.

Olise is a left-handed right winger, something Chelsea certainly know a lot about, having signed four in the last 12 months and lost to development team Tudor Mendel-Idowu to a free and currently owned Hakim Ziyech. Olise is strongly attached to the club. He is a player who reflects many of Ziyech’s positive qualities with a high number of crosses and attacks from the right flank. He can fall back on his bad left peg and visit teammates in the park. His defensive abilities are also among the best for wingers, ranking in the top 15 percent for tackled, interceptions and blocks on FBREF.

Essentially, he’s a bit of a gem and certainly one who continues to impress. Since Olise arrives early, it feels like he’s been there for a while. At this point, he has 8,500 league minutes to his name, scoring 11 goals but providing 29 assists for his work.

Far from being a performance machine, Olise’s game has style and substance, which at 18 made him the 10th top scorer of the 2020/21 season in the Championship. The next youngest player in the top ten was five years his senior. He is now waiting for the chance to prove he can do like James at Chelsea.

The Blues are reportedly exploring the possibility of signing Olise and that makes perfect sense. You want to find a player who can play on the right flank and also take on the No.10 role. Olise fits the bill and with a £35m ($44m) release clause, the young Frenchman is as cheap as it gets for the relative quality.

Although it is understood that Chelsea will go beyond the clause of his contract to agree better payment terms with Palace, it is still a low figure for a player who has openly displayed his Premier League prowess for two years. Considering Pochettino’s track record of improving not only young players but forwards as well, it’s a promising idea.

Christopher Nkunku, 25, is already able to switch roles up front and act as a striker himself. When his eye for production combines with Olise’s velvety play, it could be one of the most exciting collaborations out there. Despite a relatively low tally of just four league goals in his 43 appearances, Olise’s creative moves are top notch.

“Michael is a special talent,” Palace team-mate Joel Ward said of him earlier this year, showing the respect with which he is held. “The world is his oyster and he’s getting better and better from game to game, so I think he will reach new heights and raise the bar. If he continues like this, he will continue with special things. “They [Olise and teammate Eberechi Eze] make my life a little bit easier when I can just give them the ball and they do their magic!”

The concern is that Manchester City are also expressing interest and preparing to lose Riyad Mahrez which would free up a vacancy in the squad. At Chelsea, the gap is less. Noni Madueke, a 21-year-old left-handed right-winger, was signed in January for £35m. Diego Moreira and Angelo Gabriel are promising players who are currently being tested in pre-season and Raheem Sterling has also been selected to play for this team in America so far.

That’s definitely one thing that could stand in their way, another could be his recent injury while playing for the French U21s in the European Championships. Olise suffered a blow with a hamstring injury for a year and is set to miss the start of the 2023/24 season. “We know after his injury that it will be some time for him to get back to fitness,” revealed manager Roy Hodgson. “It was a serious injury that required surgery.

“At the moment we are hoping that the rehabilitation is going well and to have him back soon. But we certainly won’t see him for a while.”

Chelsea have had a torrid time with injuries over the past couple of years and apart from this recent setback, hardly need another player to be a flight risk for the new season other than Olise’s record. In what was already his fifth senior career, he was an integral part of the Palace and Reading teams.

That problem aside, Chelsea have a chance to make a smart signing in a key area and it only makes sense in the world.