Olise sticks with Crystal Palace signing new four-year deal amidst Chelsea interest

Michael Olise has penned a new four-year contract with Crystal Palace, silencing rumours of a potential switch to Chelsea.

The club's Chairman, Steve Parish, couldn't contain his enthusiasm, sharing on social media, “I’m absolutely delighted to announce [Michael Olise] has decided to commit his future to Crystal Palace football club and this afternoon signed a new four-year deal with the club.”

Manager Roy Hodgson echoed this sentiment, expressing relief amidst swirling transfer speculations.

"It’s the best possible news we could have,” Hodgson said.

“I had been concerned – it’s always concerning when a club of Chelsea’s stature takes an interest in a player. But I had always hoped that Michael would see his bright future here.”

Scoring four goals and chalking up nine assists in 31 games during his debut season, the 2022/23 season saw him rising to prominence, particularly with a 94th-minute winner against West Ham and an award-winning equalising free-kick against Manchester United.

His potential contributions for the forthcoming season hang in the balance due to a long-term injury suffered while representing France Under-21s.

Hodgson has been supportive during Olise’s decision-making journey, emphasizing that he didn’t want to exert undue pressure on the 21-year-old.

“He was under pressure from all sides. I can only tell you: ‘I'm always here if you need to speak further’,” the manager explained.

Highlighting the challenges of retaining talent against top-tier clubs' spending power, Hodgson stated, “It's very difficult. There’s a very wealthy group at the top of our league spending vast sums of money. Crystal Palace can't match that."