Jamal Musiala says he is delighted that former Chelsea academy teammate Michael Olise has decided to sign for Bayern Munich, despite interest from the Blues.
The winger joins from Crystal Palace in a £51m deal, after former club Chelsea pulled out of talks. Their withdrawal was apparently due to the impact the attacker’s wage demands would have on the balance sheets amid the club’s fragile stance within Premier League spending rules.
Frenchman Olise joined Chelsea’s youth system from Arsenal in 2009 before moving to Manchester City’s set-up in 2016, and then switching to Reading a year later. During his time at Cobham, he played alongside Bayern and Germany star Musiala.
The midfielder spent eight years on Chelsea’s books before being snapped up by Bayern in 2019. He had been previously scouted from Southampton, who had recruited him from fourth-tier German club TSV Lehnerz.
Musiala says he is pleased that he will be playing alongside Olise once more, this time on the grand stage for Bayern. As per journalist Max Koch, the 21-year-old said: “We used to play together in Chelsea academy, it was nice!
“He’s super talented, his skills are excellent. He has scored many goals at Palace so… I’m happy that he’s joining Bayern.”
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A number of other clubs were linked with Olise, including Manchester United and Newcastle but he ultimately decided to join former Burnley boss Vincent Kompany at the Allianz Arena next season after extensive speculation about his future.
Speaking about why he chose to move to Bayern, Olise said: “It’s a great challenge, and that’s exactly what I was looking for. I want to prove myself at this level and play my part in ensuring that we win as many titles as possible with our team in the coming years.”
Olise will return to England in a month’s time when Bayern travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to take on Spurs in a pre-season friendly a week before the beginning of the Premier League campaign.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
