‘It’s a big moment’: Rising Nigerian teenager Olise joins Crystal Palace from Reading

CRYSTAL Palace have signed Michael Olise from Reading, the Premier League club announced on Thursday.

Olise, 19, becomes the first signing of Patrick Vieira since the Arsenal legend was named Crystal Palace manager.

“Crystal Palace have completed the signing of highly-rated teenager Michael Olise from Reading,” the club stated on their official website.

“Olise, a 19-year-old attacking midfielder, has signed a five-year contract with the club as Palace’s first arrival since Patrick Vieira’s appointment as manager.”

The England-born Nigerian teenager scored seven goals and made 12 assists in 46 games for Reading last season and earned plaudits for his performances.

Olise began his youth career with Chelsea, before switching to Manchester City and then Reading, where he made his first-team debut in March 2019, aged just 17.

This achievement – and three further senior appearances – secured Olise Reading’s Scholar of the Season Award for 2018/19.

He was so impressive last season that he was named EFL Young Player of the Season and included in the Championship Team of the Season as well as the PFA’s Championship Team of the Year.

Olise has pledged his international future to Nigeria despite his two U-18 caps for France in 2019, and he was named as one of the standby players in the Super Eagles squad for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Lesotho in March.

He teams up with fellow England-born, Nigerian Eberechi Eze, at Crystal Palace.

“It’s a big moment – Premier League football. It’s a great club and I’m very excited to be here. Good players, a good manager, so I’m ready to start,” Olise told the Palace website.

Vieira, who was also a midfielder in his playing days, added: “We have the tools in our football club to make him a better player, and we’ve known him quite well because he’s a player the football club have been following for a long time. I think it is important to refresh the squad, to bring some new faces, to bring young talent here, and this is a really good signing for us.”