How Man Utd and Arsenal missed out on 'a €100m player for half the price'

Suraj Radia

• 29 Sep 2024 07:20 CDT
• 4 min read

Manchester United and Arsenal may both be regretting the opportunity to have signed one of the most in-form players on the planet this summer after he was labelled ‘a €100 million star for half price’.

A host of teams were in the market for Michael Olise this summer but Bayern Munich came out on top, signing the Crystal Palace winger for €53m.

The 22-year-old has had an incredible start to life in Germany, grabbing three goals and two assists in his opening five Bundesliga appearances, as well as scoring twice on his Champions League debut.

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Olise’s ability was well known to United and Arsenal after his exploits for Palace, with the Frenchman grabbing 16 goal contributions in just 19 Premier League games last season.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was neither Arsenal or United making a serious approach for Olise despite having a long-term interest and both clubs wanting a player with his skillset, particularly at such an appealing price.

Olise rejected Chelsea and Newcastle to move to Bayern and the forward has already proven his price tag to be a bargain, while showing Premier League sides just what they missed out on.

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Despite making his debut for the French national team earlier this month, Olise was born in London and had stints at Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City’s academies.

After a breakout season for Reading in the Championship, Olise moved to Palace in 2021 where he established himself as a talented youngster known for his creativity and nonchalant persona.

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Teams were perhaps put off by Olise’s recent troubles with injury, which saw him miss more than half the season with a number of hamstring issues, however he appears to have put his fitness troubles behind him for the time being.

As a left-footed right winger, Olise would have provided perfect competition for Bukayo Saka at Arsenal, or been able to use his versatility to play on the opposite flank.

United, meanwhile, have continued to struggle for firepower and, despite the presence of Antony and Amad Diallo at right wing, Olise would have represented an obvious upgrade.

Olise is also believed to be a United fan and was thought to be holding out for a move to Old Trafford, but the Red Devils ultimately looked to focus their resources elsewhere.

However, the Premier League’s loss is Bayern’s gain and Olise’s blistering start has given Vincent Kompany’s side a new edge as they look to regain their Bundesliga crown and begin a new, dominant era under the Belgian.