Arsenal rate PL winger highly but rivals are confident of winning transfer battle

Arsenal are reportedly one of the clubs interested in a potential transfer deal for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise after his fine recent form in the Premier League.

The Gunners are said to value Olise highly, while Manchester United could also be in for him, but it’s felt that Aston Villa may now have the advantage in the race for his signature, according to Football Transfers.

The report states that Villa chief Monchi has some confidence that the Birmingham outfit can see off competition from their rivals for Olise, who could likely struggle to start a lot of games at Arsenal, while Man Utd won’t have Champions League football on offer next season.

The Frenchman is surely too good not to earn himself a big move sooner or later, and Villa makes sense as a tempting destination right now as the club have made significant strides under Unai Emery’s management.

Olise transfer: Do Arsenal need him anyway?

As Football Transfers note, Arsenal already have Bukayo Saka in Olise’s role, so it’s hard to see why they’d spend the kind of big money required for someone who may well end up warming the bench at the Emirates Stadium.

Still, the north London giants could also surely do well to add some depth to their squad, and Saka is one of a number of young players who’s been forced to play a lot of football over the last few years, rarely getting a chance to rest.

Our Arsenal columnist Charles Watts has made it clear he’d welcome the signing of Olise, though he did also question if the 22-year-old might be a bit too individualistic to fit Mikel Arteta’s system.

“I think either Eberechi Eze or Michael Olise would be a perfect fit for Arsenal this summer,” Watts said in his piece yesterday. “I know the club is looking for a new attacking player who could add a bit of X-Factor to the team, someone who can come in and make something out of nothing.”

He added: “I do look at Olise and wonder if he is an Arteta type player. He’s perhaps a bit too individualistic for the Spaniard in terms of how he plays and he would certainly have to work very hard to improve what he does off the ball to really fit in at Arsenal. But his quality is there for all to see and I think he would improve any top squad, including Arteta’s.”