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Both of Crystal Palace’s young Nigerian stars would be useful to the Super Eagles but Michael Olise is a bit more of a necessity than Eberechi Eze.
As far as players of Nigerian descent go, Crystal Palace have two of the best right now in Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise.
Both players have been constantly linked with representing the Super Eagles with talks being held with each player in the past and an invite which wasn’t honoured.
Eze and Olise are both still holding out for a chance to explore their more attractive options which makes it unlikely that Nigeria will ever get both.
If that is the case and the Super Eagles can only get one of these two talented players, it makes a bit more sense to hope that it’s Olise.
Olise is a necessity, Eze is a luxury
Again, it is important to reiterate that both of these players are good and would add significant quality to the Super Eagles but Olise’s profile is exactly what Nigeria has been missing.
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He features mostly on the right wing for Crystal Palace, tormenting fullbacks and doing all he can to hurt the opposition with his silky left foot.
Earlier in his career, Olise played mostly as a 10 for Reading where his ability to read the game and pick a pass made him one of the standout players of the Championship.
The 21-year-old still alternates between both positions but regardless of where plays, Olise’s creativity and inventiveness shine through, which is exactly what is missing in the Super Eagles today.
Samuel Chukwueze is currently the only natural right winger in the Nigeria national team setup and even though he has his qualities, Olise offers more than him.
In comparison to his Crystal Palace teammate, Eze who is a left winger, Olise’s profile is rare in the Super Eagles.
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Eze on the other hand is pretty much an Alex Iwobi regen, silky movement, capable of the occasional spectacular pass and/or goal.
It would be nice to have Eze and all he contributes from the left wing and central areas but Nigeria has an overload in such positions which would make him a luxury acquisition and not a necessity.
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What Olise would add to the Super Eagles
It is worth mentioning that the possibility of Nigeria missing out on both players is significantly higher than landing either one of them let alone both but a man can dream.
Olise was born in England to a Nigerian father and French-Algerian mother which makes him eligible to represent France, Algeria, England or Nigeria internationally.
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The left-footer clearly has a preference for France having represented the country at under-18 and under-21 levels.
Needless to say, Nigeria is the least attractive of the 21-year-old’s four options but if he does choose to turn out for the Super Eagles, here are some of the things that can be expected of him.
His feisty nature will bring some attitude to the team as Super Eagles players have been accused of playing without passion and desire.
His set-piece ability would also be a massive improvement on Nigeria’s current options, Olise would be the best free-kick taker the Super Eagles have had since Jay Jay Okocha.
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His latest exploit was a stunning free-kick to snatch a late equaliser for Palace against Manchester United.
All of these are reasons to be excited for the unlikely event that Olise does choose to represent the Super Eagles.
- The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Pulse Sports
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