What can FPL managers expect from 5.5m midfielder Michael Olise?
New Crystal Palace signing Michael Olise (5.5m) is an intriguing addition to the budget midfielder pool in Fantasy Premier League (FPL). Arriving in the Premier League off the back of a season in which he delivered 19 attacking returns, Olise has been one of the more notable captures of the summer transfer window so far. The attacking midfielder, 19, was signed by Crystal Palace for a reported 8m and becomes Patrick Vieiras first signing for the club. Upon Olises capture, Vieira said:  We have the tools in our football club to make him a better player, and weve known him quite well because hes a player the football club have been following for a long time. I think it is important to refresh the squad, to bring some new faces, to bring young talent here, and this is a really good signing for us. We assess his worth in the article below. HISTORY AND STATISTICS  Born in Hammersmith, Olise started his youth career at Chelsea before joining Manchester City and then Reading in 2018. He made his debut against Leeds United the following year, and went on to make 18 appearances in 2019/20, but it was last season when his name truly came to the fore as he scored seven goals and contributed 12 assists. As a result of those performances, he deservedly bagged a trio of awards: EFL Young Player of the Season, and inclusion in the Championship Team of the Season as well as the PFAs Championship Team of the Year. CHAMPIONSHIP STATISTICS 2020/21  Appearances 37 (7) Minutes 3264 Goals 7 Assists 12 Shots per game 1.6 Key passes per game 1.9 Crosses per game 1.4 Dribbles per game 1.3  Above figures taken from WhoScored  Only three Championship players created more chances than Olise (84), although it should be said that a large chunk of them (40) came from set plays  so itll be interesting to see whether he retains dead-ball duties in south London. Another consideration is that all but 20 of his 71 shots were hit from outside the opposition area, so hes not a true penalty-box lurker. On the international scene, Olise has represented France at under-18 level, playing for them in the Toulon Tournament, but is also eligible for England, Nigeria and Algeria via his parentage. PROFILE  Olise is a creative, left-footed attacking midfielder, who was mainly used behind the striker as a no. 10 at Reading. However, he can also play as a traditional winger, and is especially dangerous when cutting in from the right. As you can see from his 2020/21 heatmap, via Sofa Score, he operates all over the midfield third:  Technically excellent, he is a strong dribbler with an eye for a pass, and despite his age was Readings primary creator last season. His defensive work isnt great, and he possibly doesnt track back enough, but he is still developing and his physical conditions should allow him to settle quickly. THE PROSPECTS  I had a conversation with the manager and he was talking about how he sees me in the team. I like to express myself, have fun, think creatively, dribbling  just free. Michael Olise  Palace finished 14th under Roy Hodgson last season, but are set for a major overhaul this summer. As a result of this, we dont yet have a clear picture of how they will line up, but tactically, it is expected that Vieira will opt for a more open, attacking style. During his time in France he most typically used a 4-3-3, which would certainly make a lot of sense at Palace, at least initially. Given that Eberechi Eze (6.0m) probably wont be fit until 2022 and that Vieiras new squad is on the thin side, Olise should be in immediate contention to play a big role and help fill the creative void at Selhurst Park. Naturally, he will need some bedding-in time, and the expectations of any player jumping from Championship to Premier League level needs to be realistic, which does suggest that this is probably best summed up as a wait and see in FPL. The Eagles awful early schedule, of course, is another reason to hold fire. However, a total of 19 goal contributions across the 2020/21 campaign really does show the quality he has in the final third, and once Palaces fixtures ease from Gameweek 11 onwards, he may well be someone we can target in the budget midfielder category  as Eze was towards the end of the season just gone. And by that point, he may also have had a price drop or two  further enhancing his budget credentials. Become a Member and get unrestricted access to our data and articles  Full-year memberships, monthly subscriptions and a FREE trial are all now available. Join now to get the following:  Plot your transfer strategies using the fully interactive Season Ticker. 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