Chelsea have received a huge and rather shocking blow in the transfer window. Michael Olise, the highly-rated Crystal Palace winger heavily sought after by the Blues, will not be moving to Stamford Bridge this summer.
The London giants have been on the lookout for another winger and intensified their interest in the 21-year-old Frenchman. Furthermore, Olise reportedly had a £35M (roughly $45M) release clause in his contract, which Chelsea triggered.
As a result, the player's move to Stamford Bridge appeared to be a formality. However, out of the blue, Crystal Palace chairman and co-owner Steve Parish took to social media to announce that Michael Olise had signed a new contract and will remain at Selhurst Park.
I'm absolutely delighted to announce m.olise has decided to commit his future to Crystal Palace football club and this afternoon signed a new four year deal with the club.
— Steve Parish (@CEO4TAG) August 17, 2023
m.olise is an
https://t.co/S6dzkGXqds
Shortly afterward, the official confirmation came from the Eagles as well, as their talented attacker had turned down a move to Chelsea in favor of a new Crystal Palace deal.
This is a huge boost for Roy Hodgson's side as they recently lost Wilfried Zaha to Galatasaray and are preparing for interest from Liverpool in their midfielder Cheick Doucouré.
But why did Chelsea's pursuit fall apart? According to the Guardian, Olise opted to stay following talks with Parish, who was determined to keep the attacker at Selhurst Park. However, other reasons have been mentioned as well.
Palace were reportedly unhappy with the manner of Chelsea's approach. The club were even discussing going to a tribunal over this matter. The Blues remain adamant that they did no wrong, however.
Told that Crystal Palace have discussed going to a tribunal with Chelsea over their approach for Michael Olise. Chairman Steve Parish is said to be unhappy about their conduct. Also understand that Olise's release clause contains a sell-on clause for Palace
— Ed Aarons (@ed_aarons) August 17, 2023
It will be interesting to see how things unfold for Pochettino's side. Young starlet Lewis Hall is reportedly headed to Newcastle but that sale is rumored to be due to FFP issues as Todd Boehly and Co. look to balance the books. With Olise off the table, could things change for the Cobham academy graduate?
Chelsea kicked off their Premier League season with a thrilling 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool. Since then, the London giants have signed Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Romeo Lavia from Southampton. Next up for Pochettino's men is a trip to West Ham on Sunday, a game that will be aired live for fans in the USA via the USA Network, Telemundo, and Univision. Click here for more broadcast listings for your country of residence.
