Oliver Glasner speaks on Michael Olise’s shy nature: “He does his talking on the pitch.” | OneFootball

Former Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner found himself back in Germany this week. The 50-year-old brought FA Cup Champion Crystal Palace to Bavaria for a pre-season friendly against Mainz on Tuesday and two friendlies against FC Augsburg on Friday. Afterwards, Glasner shared his thoughts on Bayern Munich attacker Michael Olise’s second year in the German Bundesliga.

Olise moved to the German record champions from south London last summer on a €53m transfer. The potential of the French international – who now maintains an estimated €100m estimated market value – remains massive. By all accounts, Olise turned in a magnificent first season with Bayern. The 23-year-old scored 17 goals and collected 21 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions.

Some inconsistency across the campaign nevertheless meant that Olise didn’t always receive glowing accolades in the German press. It naturally seems silly that five-and-nine match-runs over the course of the season without a goal left Olise less discussed than other FCB professionals. The fact that the somewhat shy Frenchman didn’t give many interviews also led to him not being a big part of the German footballing discourse.

Glasner shared his thoughts on the player who struggled with injury under his watch. Glasner had to wait two months to deploy Olise following his February 2024 appointment at Palace. Eventually, Olise would score four goals in eight Premier League fixtures under Glasner in the spring of 2024.

“It’s no surprise to me,” Glasner told Kicker when commenting on Olise’s impressive first year in the Bundesliga. “It was really just a matter of whether he could keep fit. When he’s fit, it was clear that he would be a key player in the German Bundesliga. He has so much quality and is a great guy who brings a lot to the table.

“He can dribble, finish, set up plays, and has a feel for space,” Glasner continued. “I had the pleasure of having him with us for six or seven weeks at the end. Before that, he was injured for months. But hats off to Bayern for how they managed him. I think he’ll take another step forward this year.

“He is what he is: a soft-spoken man of few words,” Glasner concluded. “He does his talking on the pitch. He’s a footballer, not an orator. And he doesn’t need to be. I think we all prefer a gifted footballer who shows what he can do on the pitch to someone who talks big but doesn’t deliver. Michael is a great person. I think it’s important that people accept him for who he is.“

GGFN | Peter Weis