Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has admitted that the Eagles face a fight to keep hold of Michael Olise.
The winger has been heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park this summer, with Chelsea one club who are thought to be interested in him.
According to one report from 90min, Crystal Palace‘s London rivals are actually confident of signing Michael Olise during the current transfer window.
Having already lost Wilfried Zaha, though, watching the 21-year-old leave the club would be a huge blow for Hodgson, who is now fearing the worst.
“[We] have a fight on our hands to make sure he stays with us,” the Palace boss was recently quoted as saying by The Athletic.
He later went on to add: “We had two outstanding wingers who were almost the best in the league. Michael Olise on the right side and Wilf on the left. We don’t have Wilf anymore. Clubs are circling around [Olise].”
Losing Michael Olise would be a disaster
Again, having failed to keep Zaha at Selhurst Park, selling Olise to Chelsea or another club could end up really hurting Hodgson’s side in the upcoming campaign.
He was such a key player for the Premier League outfit last term, managing to reach double figures for assists in the English top flight.
That kind of creativity is going to be difficult to replace, especially for a club like Palace who do not have the largest of transfer budgets.
Ultimately, Hodgson and chairman Steve Parish need to do all they can to convince Olise to remain in south London, though that looks like a tough task with Chelsea circling.
While the Blues are obviously not in the Champions League this term, Stamford Bridge is still quite an attractive destination. There is an excellent coach currently in the dugout in Mauricio Pochettino, while Olise would be able to increase his salary playing at a club such as Chelsea.
The above are just a couple of reasons why the France U21 international may fancy a switch to west London this summer.
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