FEATURE | Is Michael Olise one of Bayern Munich’s best signings of the modern era? | OneFootball

On April 26, Bayern Munich took a gigantic step towards securing their 34th Bundesliga title after demolishing Mainz 3-0 at the Allianz Arena – they would proceed to draw 3-3 to RB Leipzig, only to claim the championship due to Bayer Leverkusen’s stalemate vs Freiburg. After reclaiming the title from Leverkusen’s grasp, Bayern would proceed to beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-0 before closing out the league campaign with a 4-0 victory at Hoffenheim.

Arguably the finest player on the pitch vs Mainz was none other than Michael Olise. He worked his magic across the 90 minutes for the Bavarians, helping to instigate Leroy Sané’s opening goal and driving Mainz’ defense crazy with his sensational dribbling skills and delicate changes of direction, and he even drew an early yellow card from Philipp Mwene. And in the 40th minute, Olise picked the ball up on the right flank before wiggling inside and whipping a devilish left-footed effort into the near post. To put the cherry on top, Olise delivered a splendid corner kick towards the near post, where Eric Dier was ready to head home in the 84th minute.

It was a world-class display from Olise, who won 9 out of 14 ground duels, completed 33 out of 40 passes (including three key passes), created two big chances, and won seven fouls. He also did his job out of possession, winning one out of one aerial duel, completing two interceptions, and registering one tackle. And it was yet more evidence why Olise is proving to be one of Bayern’s best signings in recent times.

Born in London to a Nigerian father and French-Algerian mother, Olise enjoyed spells at Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City before making the move to Reading. It was here in Berkshire where Olise established himself as one of the best players in England’s second division and was named as the EFL Young Player of the 2020/21 Season. However, just like Jimmy Conrad, he would have to carefully bide his time before making the step up to the highest level.

“He was very talented at the time, but I noticed that he needed to grow up a bit,” stated Everton goalkeeper João Virgínia, who played alongside Olise during the first half of the 2019/20 season. “Once he matured, he became the player he is now. You could definitely see at the time that he had the talent, the speed, the dribbling skills…he’s such a good player to watch and seeing him perform the way he is now is great.”

These impressive displays caught the attention of Crystal Palace, who signed him for £8.37m in 2021. Over the next three years, Olise emerged as a vital cog in Palace’s attack, becoming their youngest Premier League goalscorer since Clinton Morrison in 1998 as well as the youngest player to assist three goals from open play in a single Premier League match. Similarly to Fluminense’s Jhon Arias, Olise boasted a penchant for not just setting his teammates in dangerous goalscoring positions, but also finding the back of the net with a ferocious effort. He became the first Palace player to register 10 assists in a single Premier League season in 2023, and in 2024, he racked up 10 goals and six assists in 19 appearances and was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year. While plenty of Premier League sides like Arsenal and Manchester United registered an interest in signing him, it was Bayern who managed to pry him away for €60m including add-ons.

It hasn’t taken long for him to make a name for himself in Bavaria. Olise needed just two minutes to assist Kingsley Coman’s goal after making his debut vs SSV Ulm in the DFB-Pokal, and he’s built on that momentum and emerged as a vital performer for Vincent Kompany’s Bayern, racking up 17 goals and 21 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions. Thanks to his world-class dribbling skills and his unique blend of technical finesse and creativity, Olise can play just about anywhere in attack and make an impact, but he’s mainly favoured the right side of Kompany’s 4-2-3-1. Olise leads all Bundesliga players with 15 assists and 12.51 Expected Assists, whilst he also sits atop the league with 32 big chances created.

To put Olise’s brilliance in perspective, he has created 32 big chances in the Bundesliga, nearly twice as many as second-placed Florian Wirtz (17). At 23 years of age, he has established himself as one of the most creative threats in the Premier League and the Bundesliga, and he has beaten out plenty of competition to emerge as one of the first names on the team sheet. It’s little surprise why Olise has finally begun to draw the attention of the national team. After impressing for France in their silver-place finish in last summer’s Summer Olympics alongside the likes of Rayan Cherki and Desire Doue, Olise has finally managed to make his mark for France’s senior team.

Bayern Munich are going through a transition in attack. Leroy Sane has left Bayern for Galatasaray, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry could be headed for the exit door this summer, while Thomas Müller has confirmed his departure after 25 years at the club. However, in Olise, they have a player who is capable of leading the charge for Bayern’s attack not just in the long term, but the short term as well. And after winning the first trophy of his career, he’s hungrier than ever to add another piece of silverware with the FIFA Club World Cup underway.

Having finished second in their group behind Portuguese giants Benfica, Bayern will head to Miami on Sunday to face Brazilian powerhouse Flamengo – if they win, they will meet either PSG or Inter Miami.