CHELSEA continue to splash the cash on new recruits.
Having agreed a deal for Moises Caicedo (£2.5m) that could ultimately cost them a British record fee of £115million, the Blues are reportedly close to signing Michael Olise (£3m) from Crystal Palace.
The west London club have supposedly activated the France youth international’s £35million release clause, which represents relatively good value in comparison to Todd Boehly’s previous transfer dealings.
This proposed transfer is an intriguing one but how will it affect Olise’s Dream Team viability?
The first thing to note is that the 21-year-old is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury that required surgery.
No right-minded Dream Team manager is going to select an injured player regardless of the club they represent.
But it’s never too early for gaffers to consider future strategies, especially ones bursting with potential.
Olise is an electric talent who was named the Eagles’ Players’ Player of the Season in 2022/23.
Goals have been sparse for Palace but his creative output has been immense, from open play and set-pieces.
The ex-Reading starlet provided 11 assists in the Premier League last term, a tally bettered by just three players: Leandro Trossard (£3m), Mohamed Salah (£7m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£7m).
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Olise’s great strengths are his crossing and passing but he’s also got the necessary skills to dribble past defenders.
Playing predominantly from the right flank, he combined seamlessly with Eberechi Eze (£3m) at the back end of the last season upon Roy Hodgson’s return to Selhurst Park, propelling Palace away from the relegation scrap with some stylish performances.
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Six goals in 71 games for the Eagles is something of a concern but Olise is very much still a developing player – there’s plenty of time for him to add goals to his game.
And Mauricio Pochettino may be the perfect man to encourage such a progression as the Argentine tactician is considered an excellent coach of young players.
Olise’s Dream Team juice is not to be underestimated, only Jack Grealish (£4.5m) would have earned more bonus points last season had the new scoring system been implemented.
Assuming his move to Stamford Bridge goes through, how will Olise fit into Chelsea’s plans?
Pochettino opted for a 3-4-3 formation from the off against Liverpool in Gameweek 1.
Olise would surely play as one of two wide forwards, positions occupied by Raheem Sterling (£3.5m) and Carney Chukwuemeka (£1.5m) on Sunday.
The Blues endured a fairly miserable campaign in 2022/23 but they more than held their own against Jurgen Klopp’s side, with Enzo Fernandez (£3m) in particular showing the high standards expected of Chelsea.
Adding Olise’s creative output to a team that should be more dominate than Palace over the course of a season could be a recipe for healthy Dream Team returns.
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Keep an eye on his recovery progress.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
