Concrete interest: Palace could use Olise fee to land dream Eze partner
Concrete interest: Palace could use Olise fee to land dream Eze partner
The problem with climbing the Premier League table is that other teams come in and try to nab your best players.
Crystal Palace are the latest side to try and deal with this depressing inevitability.
Oliver Glasner is set to lose one of his star players, Michael Olise, as his £55m move to Bayern Munich looks all but certain now.
However, while losing the Frenchman is far from ideal, the money the club are set to receive should help them bring in the right players for Glasner, and based on recent reports, their attention is firmly on a brilliant youngster who could be the perfect teammate for Eberechi Eze.
Crystal Palace transfer news
According to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, Palace have already drawn up a shortlist of potential Olise replacements, with Antonio Nusa being one of the most prominent names.
The Italian claims that the South Londoner's interest in the young Norwegian is "concrete" but does not mention a potential price they may have to pay to secure his services.
However, The Palace Way claimed earlier this month that the Club Brugge ace could cost Steve Parish and Co around £32m.
It might be a tough deal to get over the line, and it's certainly not cheap, but given how Nusa is spoken about and the promise he has shown at such a young age, this could be an ideal way to spend the Olise money and future-proof the side.
Why Nusa would be a great teammate for Eze
So, if the Eagles are able to get their hands on Nusa this summer, fans probably shouldn't expect him to come in and immediately replicate the sort of performances they have gotten used to from Olise.
That's not to say he couldn't come in and light up Selhurst Park, but at 19 years old and having never played in a top-five league, he would likely need some time to adapt.
However, he has the raw ability and skill set to develop into a player of the Frenchman's calibre and become a dream teammate for Eze in time. While he is a natural winger, Glasner masterfully used the former Reading star as one of his two attacking midfielders last season, so there is no reason to think he couldn't do the same with the youngster.
For example, last season, "the future of Norwegian football", as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored four goals and provided four assists in 46 appearances, or 2213 minutes, which works out to a goal involvement every 276 minutes, which is pretty handy for a young prospect.
Moreover, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions in the next best 14 competitions, the Langhus-born gem is in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers for progressive carries and successful take-ons, the top 3% for progressive passes received, the top 6% for touches in the opposition's box, the top 11% for total shots and the top 17% for non-penalty expected goals and assists, all per 90.
Described as a "1v1 specialist" and possessing "electric pace" by data analyst Ben Mattinson, the rapid youngster could be the slightly more adventurous and attack-minded attacking midfielder in Glasner's system at Selhurst Park.
At the same time, Eze could use his fantastic creative ability to craft chances for him or get on the end of opportunities brought about by the youngster's chaos-causing take-ons.
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The talented defender could be just as good for the South Londoners.
Ultimately, while it's a sizable sum to spend on a young player outside the traditional top-five leagues, Nusa looks to be an incredible prospect, and in signing him, Palace can improve the first team and plan for the future.