Former Manchester City and England star Micah Richards has heaped praise on Bayern Munich star Michael Olise for his decision to turn down a move to Chelsea. The 37-year-old claimed that the Frenchman has taken his 'game to the next level' since his move to the Allianz Arena.
Olise turned heads with his impressive form for Crystal Palace, racking up 16 goals and 25 assists in 90 appearances for the Eagles across all competitions. Despite interest from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, the winger joined Bayern for a reported £50 million fee in the summer of 2024.
He enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in Bavaria, racking up 20 goals and 23 assists in 55 games across all competitions. Fans and pundits alike have labelled him as one of the best forwards in world football, a sentiment that was echoed by Richards in the latest episode of the Rest Is Football podcast.
The Englishman said (via OneFootball):
"He's took his game to the next level. What a move that was for him. Because if he would have went to City, he might not have played as much as he would have liked. Maybe even if he went Chelsea at the time with the wingers that they have for the competition. He's gone straight into Bayern Munich and played. He missed a couple games when he first went there, and after that, he's just, he's the main man there, which is crazy for Bayern Munich."
After missing out on Olise, Chelsea have signed multiple wingers, including Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Estevao and Kendry Paez. They are also set to add exciting young forward Geovany Quenda (from Sporting CP) to their ranks next summer.
"We cannot ask the same things" - Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca discusses winger rotation ahead of Wolves clash
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has claimed that Brazilian wonderkid Estevao and Argentinian star Alejandro Garnacho are two completely 'different' players.
While Pedro Neto has started every Premier League fixture this season, Estevao and Garnacho have been battling for a starting spot on the opposite wing. Jamie Gittens is also in the mix, while youngsters like Kendry Paez (return from Strasbourg loan) and Geovany Quenda (signed from Sporting CP) are set to join the squad next summer.
Ahead of the Blues' league matchup against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Maresca addressed the winger conundrum. He said (via Chelseafc.com):
"I think the other one (besides Neto) that is doing well, that is improving, and he has to not stop because I don’t allow him to drop and to stop, is Garnacho. He’s doing very well on the ball and off the ball."
"We know that we cannot ask the same things of Estevao as Pedro Neto. We cannot ask Estevao to drop off and be a full-back sometimes like Pedro; he’s a different player with a different set of qualities. But all of them need to make sacrifices... When, for instance, our wingers – Estevao, Pedro, Garnacho, Jamie Gittens – are all doing fantastic, probably for me it’s more complicated to say which one is the correct one for this game and which one is the correct one for the next game."
Chelsea will play host to Wolves in an all-important Premier League fixture at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (November 8).