On the same weekend Eberechi Eze struck a spectacular hat-trick for Arsenal in the north London derby, another former Crystal Palace player produced a similarly stunning performance for Bayern Munich. Michael Olise, a close friend of Eze’s, scored two goals and created three more for his team-mates in Bayern’s 6-2 thrashing of Freiburg.
Eze and Olise’s bromance was a thrilling feature of their time together at Selhurst Park, but on Wednesday night they will go head-to-head in the Champions League as rivals. For Eze, it is a chance to further establish himself as a key player for Arsenal. For Olise, it is another opportunity to demonstrate why many now regard him as one of the finest attacking players in the world.
Anyone who watched Olise at Palace would know that he was destined for the highest levels of the game. Prior to his £50m move to Germany last year, his talent sparkled so brightly in south London that he even outshone Eze on many occasions. Of the two, it was Olise who generated the most excitement and interest in the summer of 2024.
Such has been Olise’s development since, he was among the nominees for the Ballon d’Or award earlier this year. Olise now dines at the top table of world football: among the other wingers nominated for the award were Lamine Yamal, Mohamed Salah and Vinicius Junior. Olise, a Bundesliga winner last season and a regular for France, is now in the same conversation as these global stars. “I don’t see anyone better,” said Lothar Matthäus, one of the legends of German football, of Olise last weekend.
In Bukayo Saka, Arsenal have an elite winger of their own. But even the ever-dangerous Saka has not been able to reach the same heights as Olise this season. Before this week’s European fixtures, only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland in Europe’s major leagues had been involved in more goals than Olise (12 goals, 10 assists).
“Michael is turning into a superstar,” Vincent Kompany, the Bayern head coach, said earlier this season. “He has that special talent. A joy to watch.”
The success of the Premier League is built, to a large extent, on its ability to attract many of the most exciting foreign players to these shores. There is something quite painful, then, about the sight of Olise and Kane thriving in the Bundesliga rather in the country of their birth, and something quite strange about the fact that Bayern’s line-up last weekend featured as many players born in London as in Munich.
With regard to Olise, 23, there must also be a considerable sense of loss for the English national team. Olise spent his entire life in England until moving to Germany last year and would have been eligible for selection if he had not chosen to represent France instead (his mother is French-Algerian). He has now made 13 international appearances, scoring four goals.
The good news for English football is that Olise could one day return to these shores. He has already slipped through the fingers of Chelsea and Manchester City – both of whom he played for at youth level – but the biggest Premier League sides will undoubtedly want to make him theirs in the future.
Bayern have denied suggestions that Olise has a release clause in his contract, but that will not stop the speculation from building over the coming months. Olise is proven in English football, having starred for Reading and Palace, and is evidently a game changer at the highest level. He will be wanted.
If he does choose to come back, where could he go? Chelsea targeted him in 2023, and indeed only signed Cole Palmer after failing to secure Olise. Manchester United have also shown strong interest in the past. Liverpool have been linked, with many regarding Olise as the ideal long-term replacement for Salah. Manchester City, surely, would be keen to be involved in any potential conversations.
Bayern have made it clear they have no intention of allowing Olise to leave any time soon, although they already seem to have a successor in the building: Lennart Karl, 17, appears to be one of the most talented young players in Europe. Karl, a diminutive left-footer with wonderful dribbling ability, could feature against Arsenal alongside Olise.
Does it help or hinder Olise’s standing that he is, famously, a man of few words? Some of his television interviews in the past have gone viral for their brevity. An example: asked once to describe a last-minute winner he scored for Palace at West Ham, Olise said: “Wilf [Zaha] passed me the ball. Shot. Scored.”
Another example was at the Club World Cup last summer, after Bayern had defeated Auckland City 10-0. Olise was asked if he felt “a little bit bad” for his thrashed opponents. “No,” he replied.
It would be an error, though, to mistake Olise’s reserved character for disinterest or aloofness. Sources who know him say he is extraordinarily driven and obsessive about his own development. One described him as a “football maniac”. It is understood that his first priority after joining Bayern was to ensure he had all the recovery tools he needed at home.
In some ways, Olise’s quiet nature has added to his mystique and aura. Earlier this year, the L’Équipe described him as “both a mystery and a star, an enigma and an artist”. To younger generations, especially, Olise is unquestionably cool.
During their time together at Palace, Olise encouraged Eze to take up chess, with the two men quickly becoming close friends on and off the field. It would be no surprise if Arsenal’s meeting with Bayern becomes a tactical chess match at the Emirates Stadium, and Olise will be looking to prove he is the most dangerous piece on the board.