Share this @internewscast.com
The January transfer window has only just opened but Manchester United’s new owners are already looking ahead to the summer.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team are shortlisting transfer targets having completed their £1.3billion buy-in at Old Trafford.
A report in the Evening Standard named Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise as someone the new United hierarchy are interested in.
The precise amount isn’t known but it would likely be a considerable sum as Palace look to protect the value of one of their star players.
Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United
Erik ten Hag’s (left) ailing side looks like it will need further reinforcement in the summer and Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right) could give the green light for Olise
It’s not hard to understand why Olise, a right-sided winger, represents an attractive proposition.
Having missed the opening weeks of the season with a hamstring injury, he has scored five goals and supplied one assist in nine matches since his return.
Olise will be crucial in Palace’s efforts to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle from their current position of 14th in the Premier League.
One of the many problems United have encountered this season is a lack of end product from their wide attackers and a shortage of service for £72million centre forward Rasmus Hojlund.
Their Brazilian winger Antony, an £85m signing demanded by manager Erik ten Hag in 2022, hasn’t provided a single goal or assist in 21 outings this season.
If United sign Olise, Antony’s status as their first-choice right winger would be seriously threatened.
A comparison of their output in Premier League matches this season, courtesy of FBref, confirms Olise offers far more than Antony.
The Palace winger’s xG [Expected Goals] is 3.0 and his expected xAG [Expected Assisted Goals] is 2.7 compared to Antony’s 1.4 and 2.1 respectively.
Olise trumps Antony in terms of average shots per 90 minutes [3.46 to 2.39] and shots on target per 90 [1.06 to 0.50].
He also creates more chances with 5.85 Shot-creating Actions per 90 minutes to Antony’s 3.48. Olise’s average passes completed figure per game is 36.8 as opposed to 30.7.
Right-sided winger Olise is adept at taking on opponents and has a very good end product
If United signed Olise, he would be a direct competitor for misfiring Brazilian winger Antony
| Stat | Olise | Antony | Rashford | Garnacho |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 9 | 16 | 19 | 18 |
| Goals scored | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Assists | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Expected goals | 3.0 | 1.4 | 5.0 | 3.8 |
| Expected assists | 2.7 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.8 |
| Shots per 90min | 3.46 | 2.39 | 2.79 | 3.63 |
| Shots on target per 90min | 1.06 | 0.50 | 0.75 | 0.76 |
| Shot creating actions per 90 | 5.85 | 3.48 | 3.40 | 3.63 |
| Average passes completed | 36.8 | 30.7 | 21.8 | 24.7 |
| Take-on success rate % | 60.0 | 32.6 | 42.6 | 36.1 |
| Source: FBref |
One criticism often levelled at Antony is he doesn’t perform well enough when taking on defenders and the stats bear this out. He is successful in 32.6 per cent of take-ons, compared to 60 per cent for Olise.
So within the small sample size of Olise’s nine games this season, he is outperforming Antony in almost every area of significance to their roles.
Antony will need to produce far more during the second half of the season to convince United’s hierarchy they don’t need to sign a replacement on the right wing.
As it happens, Olise is doing a bit better in several areas of his game than Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, United’s other two frequently-used wide attackers.
Both Rashford and Garnacho, who are typically stationed on the left flank, have three goals and two assists to their credit in Premier League action this season.
Alejandro Garnacho has been one of United’s better performing wingers without sparkling
Marcus Rashford’s form during the current campaign is a shadow of last season’s brilliance
Rashford [5.0] and Garnacho [3.8] beat Olise [3.0] for xG, but the Palace winger trumps them when it comes to Expected Assisted Goals [2.7 compared to 1.9 for Rashford and 1.8 for Garnacho].
Olise’s average shots on goal per game is higher than Rashford and only a shade lower than Garnacho, but he beats them both for getting efforts on target.
His 60 per cent take-on success is also clearly better than 42.6 for Rashford and 36.1 for Garnacho, and actually from more attempts on average per game.
But Olise hasn’t played on the left-side since his Reading days, meaning he isn’t in direct competition with Rashford or Garnacho.
Olise has been in sizzling form since returning from a hamstring injury earlier in the campaign
Based on the stats, however, he would walk into United’s side on the right, ahead of Antony, plus Facundo Pellistri and Amad Diallo, who are rarely used.
In fairness to Antony, his figures do stand up better when compared to Olise last season – the Brazilian produced more goals and assists, with his xG a healthy 6.9.
Trouble is, his form has fallen off a cliff during his second season with United, his struggles representative of the side as a whole.
As INEOS perform their review of United’s playing side, there’s no question Antony is a weak link at present and Olise could represent a good replacement if the price is right.
