It almost feels rare in the modern game that a big-money departure takes place without at least some semblance of a breakdown in relations between the player and his former employers.
So the deal that took Michael Olise from Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich was, in a way, rather refreshing.
There was not even a hint of bitterness from Palace’s perspective. Neither from the fans nor the club themselves. Everyone connected with the Eagles grateful for three years of stellar service and a £50 million sale which earns the South London club a cool £42 million profit.
Of course, a player of Olise’s match-changing talents will take some replacing.
Daichi Kamada is certainly not a like-for-like successor. More ethereal than explosive. More subtle than swaggering.
But as the Japan international reunites with his former Eintracht Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner, the task will fall on Kamada – albeit in a more central role – to help provide the creativity and cutting edge that Olise takes with him to Bavaria.
Crystal Palace reunite Oliver Glasner with Daichi Kamada
The deal which took Kamada to Palace, meanwhile, was certainly not as free from drama and ill-feeling as the one that brought an end to Olise’s time in red-and-blue.
Lazio director Angelo Fabiani hit out at an ‘unacceptable’ situation when Kamada’s camp opted against signing a new deal at the Stadio Olimpico, leaving on a free transfer.
The always outspoken president Claudio Lotito did not hold back either, labelling Kamada a ‘mercenary’ and questioning his commitment to the Biancocelesti cause.
And, with Kamada’s departure now official and confirmed, Lotito simply could not help himself when the chance to aim one last dig at the 27-year-old presented itself.
“Our mistake was to have kept players who were not giving their all. Then, we had to rejuvenate the team,” Lotito begins, via Tuttomercatoweb. “If you have people within the team who are not rowing in the same direction, you have problems.
“Kamada? The agent asked for 2.5 million for the renewal of another year, but I have to look after the interests of the club. We are listed on the stock exchange.
“Now, let’s start again with the players who are hungry.”
Palace need to replace Michael Olise
Kamada, on a free, could prove to be one of the best value signings in the entire European market presuming he can rediscover the form that made him such a key part of Frankfurt’s success under Glasner.
The silky playmaker scored 16 goals during his final season in Germany and also played a major role in Die Adler’s Europa League success over Rangers in 2022.
Crystal Palace’s post-Olise succession plan, meanwhile, could see the club return to a familiar marketplace. Much-admired director Dougie Freedman has enjoyed real success taking players out of the Championship, ex-Reading star Olise proof of that alongside Ebere Eze and Adam Wharton.
HITC understands that there are three second-tier talents under consideration to take Olise’s place at Selhurst Park. Leeds United’s Wilfried Gnonto is an option. As is Jack Clarke of Sunderland and the coveted Hull City talisman Jaden Philogene.
Philogene will be allowed to leave for the right fee, according to Hull owner Acun Ilicali.
“Everything is true,” Ilicali explains to talkSPORT (2 July, 12.40pm) when asked about the interest in the former Aston Villa youngster. “Of course, if you ask me, I told my fans that I would sell nobody. My idea in football is not to make money. My idea is to make a strong and bigger club.
“But to make a bigger club, sometimes if a player says I want to go, that’s a different case. For me, if one player changes, it’s not the end of the road.
“I will never want to ruin their career or their mood because by pushing them (to stay). If Jaden wants to move and says he wants to go somewhere, (stopping him) is something we cannot do too much because this is his life,” Ilicali adds.
“I love all of my boys. For me, their life and career, I am responsible too. If they don’t want to play with us, they don’t want to play with us.”
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