Arsene Wenger has already given his opinion on Mikel Arteta transfer target

25 July 2023 , 15:15

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Arsene Wenger has already given his opinion on Mikel Arteta transfer target

Arsenal have entered the race for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, though the Frenchman is yet to really heed the advice given to him by Arsene Wenger late last year.

The Selhurst Park favourite is the subject of huge interest from a number of the Premier League's biggest sides this summer. The Gunners are the latest to throw their hat in the ring to try and land Olise's signature, as per 90min., but fellow big-six rivals Chelsea and Manchester City are also believed to be keen on the 21-year-old.

Olise has already had communication with a Gunners icon in Wenger, who offered up some tactical advice while the pair were speaking alongside the winger's then-manager and fellow Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira at the French embassy.

According to The Athletic, during the conversation Wenger made clear to Olise what he had to do to take his game to the next level - score more goals. It was a viewpoint that Vieira couldn't help but agree with. For all of the youngster's flair and finesse, he finds the net nowhere near enough.

Last term, across a campaign where Olise featured in all of Palace's league fixtures bar one, Olise managed just two goals. The season prior was a similar story and in 63 top-flight games for the Eagles, their tricky French winger has managed just four goals.

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Shortly after Wenger issued his advice, Vieira publicly admitted he agrees with his former Gunners boss regarding Olise's end product.

"He can score more," said then-Palace boss Vieira in November 2022. "He has to and I expect him to. What is missing is to just give him a little bit of time. Sometimes we forget how young he is. Coming from the Championship, he has to learn and he still has to learn a lot to be a Premier League player.

Michael Olise is being eyed up by Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City this summer (Getty Images)

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"He had a couple of steps back with injuries, but now he is in a really good place and games will give him the experience and belief to keep growing."

Though his output still leaves plenty to be desired, Olise's technical prowess and ability to bring the best out of those around him makes the young Frenchman such an attractive proposition. The former Reading man has a release clause set between £35m and £45m at Palace based on a range of reports.

With Chelsea having lost both Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic this summer, Stamford Bridge might be the destination that can offer Olise the most amount of game time next term.

He is actually expected to miss the start of the league season though an injury picked up on France under-21 duty, but that does not appear to have cooled the interest in prying Olise away from Palace this window.

Josh O'Brien