Michael Olise got two assists as France defeated Sweden in the round of 32 at the World Cup. Chelsea will be regretting the various opportunities they had to sign him.
Olise spent seven years as part of Chelsea's academy before moving to Manchester City. He eventually came through the ranks at Reading. He impressed in the Championship for Reading, but Chelsea chose not to pay his ÂŁ8 million release clause.
Crystal Palace signed Olise, and he went on to star in the Premier League. Chelsea came knocking again in 2023 and activated his release clause at Palace of ÂŁ35 million. However, the Blues withdrew after allegations of the player being tapped up. Olise went on to extend his contract at Selhurst Park.
The following year, Chelsea were again linked with Olise. However, he ended up joining Bayern Munich for ÂŁ60 million. He has now won two Bundesliga titles and the DFB-Pokal with the German side.
It is a familiar story of Chelsea letting talented players slip through their fingers
Declan Rice is another player whom Chelsea released from their academy. Rice came through at West Ham United and was often linked with a return to Stamford Bridge. However, he chose to join Arsenal and has now won the Premier League with them.
Olise now has six assists in just four games for France at the World Cup this summer. He was born in England, but qualifies to play for Les Bleus through his mother. France are one of the favorites to win the World Cup this summer, and should defeat Paraguay in the round of 16.
Last season, Olise scored 22 goals with 31 assists in 52 games in all competitions for Bayern. He is now being linked with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
Chelsea endured a miserable campaign where they missed out on European qualification altogether. It could have been so different had they had Olise on the right wing. The Blues still have talented right wingers. Pedro Neto found the back of the net 10 times with 10 assists in 53 matches last season. He is playing against tougher opposition in the Premier League, but his numbers are less than half of what Olise got.
The Blues' other right-winger is EstĂŞvĂŁo, who had a campaign disrupted by hamstring injuries. He managed to score eight goals with four assists in 36 games last season. The Brazilian is only 19, so he still has huge potential.
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