Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has urged his old club to outbid their Premier League rivals for Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise, who he claims ‘took the p***’ out of Manchester United. The 22-year-old forward put on a dazzling performance against United on Monday night, scoring twice in a 4-0 victory and giving Casemiro and Jonny Evans a hard time.
Despite being limited to just 17 appearances due to injury, Olise has scored nine goals in the Premier League this season. Arsenal, United and Chelsea have been linked with the Frenchman recently.
Petit was full of praise for Olise’s ‘incredible’ performance against United, suggesting that in a different era, such audacious play would have seen him targeted physically. However, he believes that Olise would be an excellent addition to Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Speaking to Grosvenor Casinos (via the Express), Petit said: “I watched Olise against Man United and thought he was incredible. Arsenal should do everything to sign him over Man United. He did some tricks during the game, and so did [Eberechi] Eze, where in my day they would have left the stadium on crutches. I thought they were taking the p*** and so lucky they play in 2024..
“If I had to choose I’d have both, but Olise is more what Arsenal need on the right-flank. Having both him and [Bukayo] Saka would be very good for Arsenal because they still need that and Olise has improved so much over the last few years. If I’m Olise, I’d choose Arsenal too as I want ambition in my career and my place is not Palace anymore.”
Olise started in Arsenal’s youth setup as an eight year old prodigy in 2009 before moving onto Chelsea after a year. Moving onto Manchester City in 2016, his senior level progression did not materialise until a switch to Reading followed in the subsequent year.
With 73 appearances under his belt, Palace snapped him up in 2021. Currently, the Eagles value their prized possession at a whopping £60million, backed by a contract binding him until 2027. His impressive performances have not gone unnoticed internationally, having represented France in the under-18 and under-21 levels.
Chelsea nearly secured the signing of the star last summer with a £35m bid. However, Olise chose to extend his initial contract by one year, and it remains undisclosed whether the contract included a release clause.
