At the end of last year, British businessman Jim Ratcliffe completed a deal to acquire 25% of Manchester United from the Glazers, one that will see him take control of the sporting operation at Old Trafford. In 2024, he'll surely want to truly announce his arrival with a statement signing.
One player who could fit the bill is Michael Olise at Crystal Palace. United are reportedly interested in making Olise one of the first additions of the Ratcliffe era in the belief that he could revitalise Erik ten Hag's attack.
They could either capitalise on a new release clause in the Palace contract he signed last summer, or try and negotiate a part-exchange deal involving right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Wan-Bissaka, of course, came to United directly from Palace, and it's been suggested that United extended his contract by 12 months in order to use him as a bargaining chip in their pursuit of Olise. Fabrizio Romano has now shared the latest on United's interest, and it certainly sounds promising for Ten Hag.
United could sign Olise for less than £60m
Speaking to The United Stand, Romano said that Man Utd will consider triggering Olise's release clause, and hinted that he could be available for less than the anticipated £60m-£70m figure.
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He said: "I think it is not £60m or £70m. I think it can be less than this. There are many clubs interested in this boy. I’m sure Chelsea will still be there. I’m sure that for, Man United, it will be an opportunity they will consider because it’s obviously a big opportunity when a player has a release clause."
Elite playmaker Olise could spark United's attack
Dubbed a "wonderful player" by current manager Roy Hodgson and a "special talent" by predecessor Patrick Vieira, Olise could be exactly the kind of signing United need.
He may only have one assist in the Premier League this season, but we shouldn't be fooled by that figure, because the underlying data shows that he is in fact one of the best playmakers in the division. As you can see in the table below, he ranks in the top six for expected assisted goals per 90 minutes, and he's also third for shot-creating actions per 90 (5.85). The reality is that he's been let down by his teammates after supplying them in front of goal.
1
Pablo Sarabia
0.53
2
Mohamed Salah
0.44
3
Cole Palmer
0.39
4
Pervis Estupinan
0.38
5
Leon Bailey
0.37
6
Michael Olise
0.35
This wasn't the case last season, when Olise finished fourth in the Premier League assist charts, and seventh in the overall big-five leagues leaderboard, on 11. Palace only scored 40 goals, so he was the architect of more than one in four.
The 22-year-old should theoretically make a huge impact at Old Trafford, where the attack is malfunctioning. The focus thus far has been on the lack of goals – United rank a miserable 16th in the league on 1.16 per 90 minutes – but it would be wrong to paint a picture of purely wastefulness.
Instead, the reality is that they are desperately struggling to create chances too – their average of 1.42 xG per 90 is only the 12th-best in the league – but adding a defence-splitter like Olise would hopefully go a long way to driving those numbers up.