Crystal Palace is said to have moved quickly to try and find an immediate replacement for Michael Olise, who is rumored to be headed to Bayern Munich this summer.
By bringing in Real Betis defender Chadi Riad and former Lazio offensive midfielder Daichi Kamada, the Eagles have begun their summer business with the goal of continuing where they left off under Oliver Glasner last season come August. This summer, both players ought to provide Glasner a significant lift.
By saying on the official Crystal Palace website, “I’m excited to be joining Crystal Palace, and to be working with Oliver – who is a coach I know well – again, I am looking forward to testing myself in the Premier League, and hopefully the club and I can achieve all of our objectives together,” Kamada showed his happiness at reuniting with former Eintracht Frankfurt manager Glasner.
TeamTalk claims that Crystal Palace has made a first approach to capture Hull City’s Jaden Philogene, beating out rivals Everton and Ipswich Town. The amount they pitched is still unknown, but prior rumors indicated that the Championship team may value their top player as much as £20 million this summer.
For the people at Selhurst Park, who could immediately welcome a successor for Olise, it’s definitely a step in the right way. Philogene is undoubtedly a player capable of fulfilling the nearly impossible job of taking over Olise’s role in South London the next season, if the previous season is any indication.
Selling Olise, a great player, for a profit and then returning to the Championship to discover the next big thing is undoubtedly a viable plan, and Palace deserves credit for that. They’ve established themselves as a fixture in the Premier League in part because of this, and they’re in a good position to shock a few people under Glasner and maybe even once Philogene arrives.
| League stats 23/24 (via FBref) | Jaden Philogene | Michael Olise |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 12 | 10 |
| Assists | 6 | 6 |
| Key Passes Per 90
|
1.67 | 2.54 |
| Take-ons Completed Per 90 | 2.79 | 2.82 |
In Olise’s absence, Philogene’s productivity and successful takeaways stand out as the qualities Crystal Palace will most need. Palace discovered last season that having a player with such a clear threat to rely on can rapidly make the difference up against the Premier League’s top six. Palace even defeated Manchester United.
Philogene will return to the Premier League with a wealth of experience, having now maybe been given the opportunity to play for the first time since permanently leaving Aston Villa. During his tenure at Hull, the winger garnered a large following, including former manager Liam Rosenior, who called his goal against Preston North End in October of last year “unbelievable.”