It has been little over a week since the explosive day for Palace fans in which club GOAT Wilfried Zaha’s move to Galatasaray was sealed, and concrete interest from Manchester City and Chelsea in Palace starlet Michael Olise was widely reported.
It is fair to say that the two stories breaking in such quick succession, combined with the lack of substantial news on potential incomings to the club, meant Palace fans were widely thrust into a place of worry and panic.
For the Olise story specifically, throughout the highly-rated youngster’s stay in SE25 there have been rumblings of a release clause, which were reignited when Fabrizio Romano suggested the existence of an underwhelmingly priced £35million release clause.
Since then, contrary reports from the likes of club legend Darren Ambrose have served to ease unrest among the fan base. However, Matt Woosnam, a journalist for The Athletic highly regarded for his knowledge of Palace specifically, didn’t serve to entirely shut down concerns about Olise’s future, tweeting in regards to the release clause situation, “it’s complicated”, a tweet which has since been deleted.
While we edge closer to the start of the Premier League season, the picture of comings and goings will become clearer. Most recently, there have been suggestions Palace are willing
to unload a £100k a week contract offer to Olise, whilst Matheus Franca looks all but set to occupy Zaha’s vacated spot on the left wing. In terms of Olise, and Palace’s right wing predicament, perhaps there is an aspect of the situation which hasn’t yet been fully considered or factored in – the signing of Malcolm Ebiowei.
When Palace signed Ebiowei in the summer of last year, it appeared to be another shrewd piece of business and a continuation of the club’s commitment to signing promising youngsters from the Championship. However, I’m sure many would agree that the signing was somewhat surprising given the competition for a starting slot on the right between Jordan Ayew and Olise under Patrick Vieira, and what it would mean for the development of academy prospect Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
Ebiowei’s place in the hierarchy on the right has since only become more complicated by his disappointing loan spell at Hull City and the extent to which Rak-Sakyi flourished in his League One loan move.
In the past few seasons, Palace’s transition towards a more sustainable transfer policy has been plain to see. Shifting from buying experienced Premier League players such as Christian Benteke and Mamadou Sakho, the club have conceded their role as a ‘stepping stone’ in the name of bringing in high transfer fees that could be reinvested to create an upwards trajectory.
Unfortunately, many Palace fans themselves would concede that this model essentially emulates those of our rivals on the South Coast.
Brighton’s outstanding recent campaign, in which they reached an FA Cup semi-final and secured European football at the Amex for this coming season, can largely be attributed to this model, and crucially, their depth. Whilst Potter and De Zerbi’s prowess should not be underestimated, Brighton’s depth among their ranks, and their instant replacements after losing star players in recent years – Estupinian for Cucurella, Mitoma for Trossard, should be considered instrumental to their achievements.
Whilst Palace’s fans’ anxieties going into the 2023/24 Premier League campaign primarily consist of concerns about depth, particularly in attacking positions, perhaps Ebiowei was brought in to be exactly that. Perhaps, Ebiowei’s arrival in SE25 represented a belief that Olise would be one of the first of our top young prospects out of the door, and Steve Parish, Dougie Freedman, and the other forces in the Palace hierarchy saw the need to develop a ready-made replacement and were thinking moves ahead. Of course, this claim is problematic given Ebiowei’s failure to make a real impression in his loan at Hull.
It is clear that Olise’s boots, particularly his left, would be especially big ones to fill, and that Ebiowei is still very much a diamond in the rough. However, given the extent to which Ebiowei was previously touted, and the faith that the Palace hierarchy placed when they brought him to SE25, it is clear he will be an intriguing player to watch throughout Palace’s pre-season. The stakes are especially raised given Olise’s injury whilst on international duty that almost certainly see him miss the opening batch of fixtures of the Premier League season.
For Ebiowei, and Palace, this represents an important crossroads, in which should Olise be on the move anytime soon, we should expect the former Derby County wideman to be tested. Whilst it seems many have almost entirely forgotten the existence of Ebiowei, his ability to rise to the test of Premier League football could well prove vital to our ability to sustain top-tier football and continue to effectively carry out our efforts towards an upwards trajectory.
