In a disappointing twist, Chelsea will not be buying Michael Olise from Crystal Palace, with the 21 year old instead extending his contract there. This comes after various reports that Palace were prepared to take legal action against the Blues, on the basis of illegally tapping Olise up for the prospective transfer.
Not long after, the Frenchman was convinced to renew his contract for four years, but in a video, didn’t appear to be thrilled in the slightest. So, what’s next for Chelsea? After beating Liverpool to it and finally completing signings for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, the Blues got a taste of their own medicine.
Christopher Nkunku is of course still going to be out for a few months, which will leave Mauricio Pochettino short of options at the 10. With more sales, like Hakim Ziyech, expected to be completed soon, Chelsea will be able to successfully re-engage in the transfer market.
5 Michael Olise alternatives that Chelsea must pursue
#5. Mohammed Kudus
Mohammed Kudus is a player that Chelsea were interested in earlier on in the transfer window, but as we know by now, the board turned their attention elsewhere. Fortunately, they did not leave those deals empty handed, but Kudus is now ripe for the taking.
The Ghanaian’s name has been perpetuated in transfer rumours all summer, from originally being linked to Chelsea, agreeing personal terms with Brighton & Hove Albion, and now on the cusp of a move to West Ham. Kudus already had a move collapse once this summer, so it would not be unreasonable to think it could happen again.
In the same way, what happens if Chelsea approach Ajax with a larger bid than West Ham, or if Kudus pulls a Caicedo and holds out for what he wants? As long as a potential move is not seconds away from being completed, Chelsea certainly need to get back on the phone, or send some emails, or whatever it is they do to negotiate transfers, and start making some progress on this. For the price he’s available at, it’s highly unlikely the Blues will find another winger as good or as versatile as Kudus.