It would probably be fair to describe Crystal Palace's season thus far as disappointing – to be diplomatic.
The Eagles did manage to come away from Goodison Park with a hard-fought point on Monday night, which will surely please new boss Oliver Glasner, but with just six wins from their 25 Premier League games this season, they could still be in trouble.
What makes their position even more treacherous, however, is the growing number of injuries the team has had to contend with this season, as key players like Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi and Michael Olise are all out at the moment, with the latter set to remain so for some time.
Injury
Potential Return
Achilles
03/06/2024
Ankle/Foot Injury
04/05/2024
Thigh Injury
06/04/2024
Ankle/Foot Injury
24/02/2024
Thigh Injury
24/02/2024
Knee Injury
24/02/2024
Thigh Injury
Unknown
That said, if the Frenchman is set to miss out on a large portion of the season, Palace might already have the perfect solution in their ranks in a 19-year-old winger who has been tearing it up with the youth sides this year.
Michael Olise's Crystal Palace record
The tremendously exciting winger joined Palace in July 2021 for a fee of just £8m, and while he was a relative unknown to the wider footballing world, he has to be considered one of the best bang-for-buck signings in recent history.
While the "brilliant" Olise, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, didn't make it into the first team squad for the first three Premier League games of the 2021/22 season for the Eagles, he did come off the bench to make his debut in the fourth game, against Tottenham Hotspur on 11 September.
The "simply superb" gem, as described by Kulig, scored his first goal for the club just a few weeks later, as the south Londoners drew 2-2 at home to Leicester City. From then on, he was a regular, making 31 appearances in all competitions across the season, scoring four goals and providing eight assists.
The following season, he scored two goals – including that stunning free-kick against Manchester United – and registered 11 assists in 40 appearances.
This year, despite the club's struggles in front of goal – and his injury problems – he has managed to score six goals and provide three assists in just 11 games, which will be music to the ears of Glasner, especially as the mercurial winger signed a new deal in the summer.
In summary, the 22-year-old is a spectacular footballer, and while it would be hard to find someone exactly like him, the academy might have gotten close.
Why fans should be excited about Franco Umeh-Chibueze
Now, proclaiming a 19-year-old as the next Olise could be seen as putting undue pressure on the shoulders of said youngster, but Franco Umeh-Chibueze isn't just any youth player.
The Irishman joined the Palace setup from Cork City in February 2023 after just four appearances for the senior side.
Academy manager Gary Issott was full of praise for the then-18-year-old, describing him as "a tall, exciting, attacking player with blistering pace and a strong left-foot."
It didn't take him long to show those qualities on the pitch either, as in his first season with the youth teams, he scored six goals and provided three assists in just 13 games, which, while impressive, is even more remarkable considering he did it in 579 minutes of football, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 64 minutes.
He was so effective last season that he has played exclusively with the U21s this year. The "exciting talent", as described by journalist Emmanuel Francis, has six goals and one assist to his name in 13 appearances – or 800 minutes – and he plays out wide as well.
It's this staggeringly brilliant ability to provide goals and assists from the wings that could make him the perfect understudy to Olise in the first team.
2022/23
2023/24
13
13
579
800
6
6
3
1
64
114
Just imagine taking the Frenchman off to recover only to bring on another direct and dangerous attacker in his place – fullbacks wouldn't have a chance to breathe.
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Ultimately, the 19-year-old gem simply isn't going to be on the same level as Olise right away, but with Palace's struggles in front of goal, it wouldn't hurt to give Umeh a chance to show the league exactly what he can do.