- Crystal Palace sold Michael Olise to Bayern Munich in 2024
- Micah Richards stunned he didn’t join Premier League club
- French star is competing for Ballon d’Or
Micah Richards has given a glowing verdict of former Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise and is shocked he was allowed to leave the Premier League. The Frenchman is delivering a Ballon d’Or-worthy season at Bayern Munich.
Olise has been in ridiculous form, posting 20 goals and 29 assists in 47 games across competitions. That includes two stunning goals against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
The 24-year-old is thriving on the biggest stage in club football but it hasn’t come as a surprise to Palace fans. They watched him rise at Selhurst Park and saw the potential from a mile away.
Olise joined Bayern from Palace in the summer of 2024 for £50.8m and the Bundesliga giants won a hotly contested race for his signature. Chelsea and Manchester United were also keen on signing him but the Bavarians pushed hardest and triggered his release clause to take him to the Allianz Arena.
Richards Asks Why Olise Isn’t in Premier League
Richards watched the Frenchman’s latest eye-catching display in Vincent Kompany’s side’s 5-4 loss to PSG in the semi-final of the Champions League. He was blown away and asked Premier League owners how he escaped English football.
The former Manchester City defender said on The Rest is Football:
“How have we allowed Olise to leave the Premier League? He was right in front of our eyes at Crystal Palace, right in front of it.”
Olise was one of Europe’s most admired talents during his time at Palace where he bagged 16 goals and 25 assists in 90 games. But it felt as though many didn’t realise he wasn’t just going to be a top talent but rather a Ballon d’Or contender.
Richards added:
“We all knew he was gonna be a top player… Michael Olise, his performance I thought was just amazing. The reason I pick Olise is because he was up against my favourite full-back Nuno Mendes.”
Gary Lineker agreed with Richards’ stance, saying that he’d not seen Nuno Mendes “get run around as he did.” The Portuguese full-back is often viewed as the best left-back in Europe but Olise undoubtedly had the better of him at the Parc des Princes.
Chelsea Will Rue Missing Out on Olise
The Premier League club closest to signing Olise from Palace was Chelsea who twice failed to secure his signature. The Blues triggered his £35m release clause in the summer of 2023 but he ended up rejecting the move and signing a new deal with the Eagles.
Perhaps put off by the turmoil ensuing at Stamford Bridge, he undoubtedly made the right decision as it allowed him to further develop before joining Bayern. But he did agree terms for a move to west London a year later.
The problem Chelsea had was that the newly inserted release clause in his contract came with certain hiccups. It needed to be triggered by a Champions League competing club, which they weren’t, and after assessing the finances involved, they pulled out.
