#30 - Could Olise's arrival trigger another Arsenal evolution?
Micheal Olise has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal, but with his favoured position being the same as Saka's, the Gunners would need to evolve to get the best out of both.
As Arsenal head into the summer, transfer targets are already being assessed, with talks underway. One player to be linked is Crystal Palace star Micheal Olise. Fans are somewhat divided on a potential deal given Olise’s main position is the same as Bukayo Saka’s. But could Olise actually excel in the left-eight position? A role Arsenal could well be in the market for this summer.
Comfortable on the ball. Olise is a high-touch player, averaging 66.42 touches per 90. He’s great at showing for the ball and being an outlet for the side, receiving 47.66 passes per 90. His pass accuracy is an area he’d need to develop if he were to start in central zones for Arsenal, but it’s possible that Arsenal’s chief conductor and captain Odegaard could sit a little deeper to allow Olise to be more of the ‘3rd’ midfielder in the midfield make up next season.
Carrying the ball. An essential part of nearly every role in this Arsenal team at the moment is the ability to carry the ball effectively. This is one of Olise’s superpowers. He makes 5 carries per 90, with 3.47 into the final third and 2.04 into the penalty area. He also ranks in the 92nd percentile for progressive carrying distance at 156.54. He’s also brilliant at take-ons, able to commit his man and break a deep block, making 2.66 per 90.
Can he do the dirty work? He averages 2.35 interceptions + tackles per 90 - putting him 81st percentile vs. other wingers and attacking midfielders. In the air he is poor, winning just 21.4% of his aerial duels.
Off the ball. Whilst his defensive statistics look pretty good above, his work rate and positional awareness are the areas where he’d need to develop in order to slot into such a position.
Multi-functional. Yes, Olise can certainly deputise for Bukayo Saka, whilst also offering an option centrally and potentially from the left too. Ultimately we’ve seen Arsenal need a couple more clubs to their arsenal in order to win the major trophies and Olise’s addition would help boss Mikel Arteta formulate more attacking dynamics. Last season Olise featured several times as a central midfielder and his touch map from this season below highlights his willingness to pick up the ball across the pitch, even when starting from the right.
Fitness. That is the big concern. Olise has a poor injury record and with likely more demands being put on him in this Arsenal team, I worry about his durability. A closer look at his injury history shows he’s actually only really had two injuries in his career, but both were major and both were his hamstring. This season he missed 60 days and 8 games and last season a massive 135 days and 13 games.
Value. With a reported £65million release clause, 22-year-old Olise represents pretty good value considering he’s already somewhat Premier League proven and ticks a lot of the boxes detailed above.
Ultimately I think for a move for Olise to make sense, Arsenal would need to evolve their system a little, which may be in the plan. You could either drop Odegaard to be the second midfielder, closer to Rice, and allow Olise more of a ‘final ball’ role as the most attacking midfielder, or you could shift Odegaard to the left and do the same thing, with Olise and Saka interchanging in that right pod. Or Arteta could see potential in Olise operating as a left winger, a role where Arsenal don’t have a clear starter.
It wouldn’t be a perfect fit, and I actually like Eberechi Eze for the left eight role more, but if a move for Olise did materialise, it is exciting to think about how Arsenal could line up to continue to cause Premier League defences nightmares.