Talks held: Crystal Palace eye suitable Olise replacement in “special” £21 million “game changer”

Crystal Palace ended last season as one of the most entertaining and in-form teams in the Premier League.

The arrival of Oliver Glasner saw the perpetually midtable finishers suddenly look like one of the most dangerous sides in the country.

Stars like Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze, and Michael Olise were given the chance to show their worth, although it now looks as if the latter could be on his way out of Selhurst Park this summer.

However, while losing the Frenchman is far from ideal, Steve Parsh and Co might’ve already found a fantastic replacement and one that won’t cost an arm and a leg.

Crystal Palace transfer news

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Crystal Palace have ‘begun talks’ with some of their targets to replace Olise and are particularly interested in Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson this summer.

The report claims London rivals Fulham and West Ham United are also keen on landing the exciting winger, but the Eagles are set to make the first move and make an offer in the region of €10m – £8m – for the Englishman.

However, that won’t be enough as the Gunners are holding out for around €25m, which is about £21m.

It might not be a cheap deal to complete, but the fee the North Londoners are after isn’t egregious. In the short cameo appearances Nelson has had in recent seasons, he’s looked good, so he could prove to be a good Olise replacement.

Why Nelson would be a good Olise replacement

So, there are two reasons why Nelson would be a good replacement, and the first is rather simple: his price.

If the Eagles can secure the Arsenal man’s services for just £21m while selling the Frenchman for around £60m, that would allow the club to invest in other places to give Glasner a more rounded squad full of the profiles he wants to manage.

The second reason is that when the “special” wideman, as dubbed by Mikel Arteta, has played, he’s generally looked quite good.

For example, when he was on loan with Feyenoord in the 2021/22 campaign, he scored four goals and provided seven assists in 32 games, and when he spent the season with Hoffenheim in 2018/19, he scored seven goals and provided one assist in 29 games.

This isn’t to say that the 24-year-old could replicate the output of the former Reading ace because he probably couldn’t, but the Elephant and Castle-born winger is a talented footballer and his most famous contribution in red and white, that last minute winner against Bournemouth, proves that he can be the “game changer”, teammate Eddie Nketiah claimed him to be.

Ultimately, while Nelson may not be the marquee replacement fans would hope for, his reasonable fee would allow the club to improve the side overall, and his track record of impressing in cameos for Arsenal suggests that, if given a regular starting role, he could be a productive Premier League winger.

Moreover, if any manager is going to get the most out of an attacking player in the league at the moment, it’s Glasner.