Chelsea regret letting Michael Olise leave as he outperforms Palmer

Moreover, the West Londoners have been able to stay in the Premier League’s top four this year despite being without their crown jewel for much of the campaign: Cole Palmer.

The former Manchester City gem has been transformational for the Blues since his arrival in the summer of 2023, and now that he’s coming back to fitness, he could have something to say about the title race.

Palmer’s Importance to This Chelsea Side

With that said, Chelsea did once have a player on their books who, over the last year or so, has arguably been even better than Palmer.

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In his first season with Chelsea, Palmer racked up a frankly absurd tally of 25 goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances.

He then followed that up with a slightly less absurd, but nonetheless world-class haul of 18 goals and 14 assists in 52 appearances last season.

In other words, while he’s not the Blues’ only attacker, he is undoubtedly their most important, and therefore his absence this year has been a serious problem.

Palmer’s Return to Fitness

Fortunately, after a few setbacks, the Englishman made his much-anticipated return to the team in Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Leeds United.

While he missed chances in that game and failed to register a goal or assist against Bournemouth, Palmer finally got back up and running against Everton at the weekend.

The game-changing international got on the end of a Malo Gusto pass, burst into the penalty area and calmly slotted home, brushing aside any lingering cobwebs.

When you just know Cole Palmer will score 😅

He scored his first @ChelseaFC goal since returning from injury in their 2-0 win against Everton pic.twitter.com/PgnhS5ZOZ9
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 15, 2025

Chelsea now look a far more dangerous prospect with Palmer back in the side.

The Chelsea What-If: Michael Olise

However, had Chelsea managed to keep hold of a certain youngster almost a decade ago, they might be even more unstoppable today.

As with all elite clubs, Chelsea have missed out on plenty of young talents over the years — whether through misjudgement, like Declan Rice, or circumstances beyond their control, as was the case with Jamal Musiala.

One player who turned into a full-blown international superstar — and doesn’t quite fit either category — is Michael Olise.

According to former youth coach Sean Conlon, Olise left Chelsea at just 14 years old by “mutual consent.”

Olise’s Rise After Leaving Chelsea

After departing Cobham, Olise spent time in Manchester City’s youth system before moving to Reading, where he made his first-team debut.

A breakthrough season featuring 19 goal involvements earned him an £8m move to Crystal Palace, where he truly announced himself to the Premier League.

Across three seasons in South London, Olise registered 41 goal involvements in 90 appearances, prompting Palace boss Oliver Glasner to label him “one of the best talents in the world.”

Bayern Munich and World-Class Numbers

Those performances convinced Bayern Munich to part with £50m for the winger — a fee that already looks like a bargain, with some reports valuing him at £123m.

Since joining the German giants, the game-changing “magician,” as teammate Dayot Upamecano dubbed him, has delivered astonishing output.

Appearances: 79
Minutes: 5,781
Goals: 29
Assists: 37
Goal involvements per match: 0.83
Minutes per goal involvement: 87.59

Olise vs Palmer: A Painful Comparison

Since his Bayern move, Olise averages a goal involvement every 1.19 games — comfortably outperforming Palmer’s still-impressive return of 21 goals and 14 assists in 59 appearances across the same period.

Palmer’s numbers equate to a goal involvement every 1.68 games, or 132.2 minutes, underlining just how elite both players are.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, while Chelsea unquestionably possess a bona fide superstar in Cole Palmer, the club must look back with regret at allowing Michael Olise to leave Cobham almost a decade ago.

With Olise now thriving on the European elite stage and statistically outperforming Palmer since his move to Germany, he stands as one of the most painful “what might have been” stories in Chelsea’s modern history.

Tags: Cole Palmer