Crystal Palace have confirmed the signing of Michael Michael Olise in a £ 8m deal, making him the first newcomer since Patrick Vieira was appointed manager earlier this month.
19-year-old Olise, who was one of the championship’s top attacking players last season, has signed a long-term contract with Palace that promises to keep him at Selhurst Park until the summer of 2025. He will wear jersey number seven most recently occupied by Max Meyer.
“It’s a great moment – Premier League football. It is a fantastic club and I am very happy to be here. Good player, a good manager, so I’m ready to start, the youngster told CPFC.co.uk.
The Eagles have already recently had success in diving into the championship for young talent after last year’s conquest of Eberechi Eze from QPR and are hoping for a similar hit with Olise.
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– Crystal Palace FC (@CPFC) July 8, 2021
Vieira commented, “We have the tools in our football club to make him a better player, and we have known him quite well because he is a player that the football club has followed for a long time.
“I think it’s important to update the squad, bring new faces, bring young talent here, and this is a really good signing for us.”
Earlier this week, 90 Minutes revealed that Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea had all expressed interest in Olise, while he also drew attention from Paris such as Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco.
The best Premier League clubs had expressed interest in Olise / Chloe Knott – Danehouse / Getty Images
Olise’s arrival will be part of a crucial squad audit at the Palace ahead of the new season. Aside from saying goodbye to Roy Hodgson and welcoming new boss Vieira, as many as 11 first-team players have left as free agents, including Andros Townsend and Patrick van Aanholt.
But remodeling is something that Vieira, in his first managerial role in England, is looking forward to.
“It’s a project that really appeals to me,” he said when his appointment was confirmed. “The club has fantastic foundations in place after many years in the Premier League, and I hope we can make further improvements and continue to drive the club forward.”
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