It might be an old cliché, but Crystal Palace fans really have endured a campaign of two halves in the Premier League this season.
The arrival of Oliver Glasner has wholly rejuvenated the South Londoners in 2024, and their emphatic 4-0 win over Manchester United last Monday is the perfect game to encapsulate that.
There were several standout performers during those 90 minutes, but perhaps one stood above everyone else on the pitch.
This star has become one of the most exciting players in the country, and his wages have come to reflect that.
Michael Olise's Crystal Palace career
Yes, the man in question is none other than France U21 star Michael Olise, who was unplayable against the Red Devils and has arguably been one of the Eagles' best players for a couple of years now.
The South Londoners paid just £8m to sign him from Reading in the summer of 2021 following an impressive campaign with the Championship side in which he scored seven goals and provided 12 assists in 46 appearances.
In his first campaign in red and blue, the Hammersmith-born dynamo scored four goals and provided four assists in just 31 appearances before notching up 11 assists and two goals in 40 games the following season.
Appearances
31
40
18
Goals
4
2
10
Assists
8
11
5
Goal Involvements per Match
0.38
0.32
0.76
It's been an odd campaign for the 6-foot winger this year as injuries have seen him play just 18 games for Palace, yet in those 18 appearances, he has scored ten goals and provided five assists, a seriously impressive return.
With a clear uptick in his output season after season at Selhurst Park, it wasn't surprising that the club offered him a new contract with a significantly improved wage last summer.
The finances of Michael Olise's deal
When Olise first joined the Eagles in 2021, he agreed to a relatively modest wage of £45k-per-week, which meant that 14 players at the club were earning more than him at the time.
The "outstanding" attacker, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, remained on this deal until August last year, when, in the aftermath of Chelsea's failed attempt to sign him, he agreed to a bumper new deal of £100k-per-week, which represented a cool 112% increase on his weekly earnings.
Michael Olise
£100k-per-week
RW
Eberechi Eze
£100k-per-week
AM
Dean Henderson
£100k-per-week
GK
Odsonne Edouard
£100k-per-week
ST
Nathaniel Clyne
£100k-per-week
RB
This new deal meant that the former Reading ace was now the club's joint top earner, alongside Eberechi Eze and Dean Henderson.
The young world-beater's new deal is set to run until June 2027, but with interest from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and even Newcastle United, the Eagles may struggle to keep a hold of their talented winger for another season.
That said, whatever happens in the summer, Palace played an absolute blinder with Olise, and if Glasner can convince him to stay for another year, they could be one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the country next season.
Crystal Palace could already have the perfect Olise replacement in teen gem
The youngster has “blistering pace” and could save the club millions.
ByJack Salveson HolmesMay 3, 2024