After a season of ups and downs, Crystal Palace fans finally have a team playing some genuinely exciting football to enjoy.
New boss Oliver Glasner has overseen three wins in the last four games, and in the 11 matches since his arrival, the Eagles have lost just three times.
The Austrian has rejuvenated several of his players, and the return of the exceptionally talented Michael Olise has only further improved the South Londoner's attack.
However, the one downside to having such a gifted player perform for your team is that they might eventually leave, and based on reports, the Frenchman is still attracting attention from some of the biggest clubs in the country.
That said, if Palace eventually sell the winger for a considerable sum of money, they might already have the perfect replacement in their academy.
Michael Olise's Crystal Palace career
Palace completed the £8m signing of 19-year-old Olise from Reading on 8 July 2021, after a season in which the gifted forward scored seven goals and provided 12 assists in 46 appearances for the then Championship side.
Appearances
31
40
16
Goals
4
2
7
Assists
8
11
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.38
0.32
0.68
In his first season at Selhurst Park, the France U21 international looked right at home, scoring four goals and providing eight assists in just 31 appearances, meaning that he ended his first campaign averaging a goal involvement every 2.5 games.
The Hammersmith-born dynamo made 40 appearances the following season, scoring two goals and providing 11 assists. This year, he's had to deal with several injury setbacks but has still produced a remarkable return of seven goals and four assists in just 16 games for Palace, which works out to a goal involvement every 1.4 games.
Described as a "simply superb" footballer and someone who is a "joy to watch" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, it's impossible to deny that Olise has all the skill and ability necessary to reach the very top of the game and so, when he inevitably moves on from Selhurst Park, he could be very expensive to replace, unless Glasner and Co give unleash of the academy's most exciting prospects, that is.
Why Franco Umeh could be the perfect Olise replacement
The academy gem in question is Ireland U19 international Franco Umeh-Chibueze, who joined the Eagle's youth setup in February 2023 from Cork City.
Appearances
29
Goals
15
Assists
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.65
Since then, the "exciting talent", as described by journalist Emmanuel Francis, has scored 15 goals and provided four assists in just 29 appearances across the club's various youth sides, meaning he is averaging a goal involvement every 1.5 games despite being just 19 years old.
The promising prospect quickly made his way from the U18s to the U21s and now occasionally trains with the first team. He has made the first team squad on multiple occasions, even getting a run out in the club's friendly with Bodø/Glimt in March.
Described as possessing "blistering pace" by academy manager Gary Issott, the left-footed gem has the most experience playing on the right wing but has proven himself to be adept at playing anywhere across the front three.
Crystal Palace were rinsed by Pardew flop who earned more than Mateta
The promising ace was hamstrung by injuries.
ByJack Salveson Holmes
It's certainly too early to think about Umeh being ready to replace the Frenchman this season. Still, if the 22-year-old were to leave Palace in two years or so, then based on the Irishman's trajectory, record at youth level and the way he is spoken about, he could well be the man to step into the fold, thus saving the club an awful lot of money.
