•  Michael Olise looks like he could leave Crystal Palace in the coming days.
•  As a result, a £13m replacement with “great talent” has been lined up.
•  He’s got a fine record for goals and assists.

Crystal Palace began their Premier League season in ideal fashion – they left Bramall Lane with a clean sheet and three points thanks to Odsonne Edouard’s second-half strike.

However, there still remains much work to be done in the transfer window.

The club needs to pinpoint experienced and quality-infused replacements for Wilfried Zaha, who left for Galatasaray, and Michael Olise, who is supposedly on the verge of joining Chelsea.

Therefore, Palace are keen on signing in Issakau Fatawu to reinforce their attacking options.

Who could replace Michael Olise at Crystal Palace?

According to Record (via Sport Witness), Palace are chasing the Sporting winger, who is also attracting interest from Real Valladolid.

Sporting are aiming to acquire €15m (£13m) from his sale and the south Londoners have opened talks over the transfer.

Roy Hodgson is in the market for an attacker with Michael Olise reportedly close to a £35m switch to Chelsea.

Who is Issahaku Fatawu?

In 2019, the-then 15-year-old started his career with Ghanaian second-tier club Steadfast FC and recorded 13 goal contributions in 12 games before the league was halted due to the pandemic.

In his second season, the frontman scored 12 goals and crafted 12 assists in 14 league outings.

This scintillating form meant he was selected for his homeland’s 2021 Africa U20 Cup of Nations squad, and he played in every game, scoring twice to help his side win the title.

That year, the dynamic technician was included in The Guardian’s ‘Next Generation 2021’ and they wrote:

“Arguably the best African prospect of his generation. The Tamale native is an all-action midfielder who can play behind a striker or on the right wing, where he cuts on to his powerful left foot and plays incisive passes. He was especially electric at the 2021 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations where he was named player of the tournament, despite being younger than the vast majority of the players.”

As a result of his glimmering potential, Fatawu has 14 caps for his nation and secured a move to Sporting in April 2022.

Upon his sudden explosion into European football, Sporting manager Ruben Amorim feels he is a “great talent” and Palace’s interest is an indication of his frightening trajectory.

Palace have seemingly initiated a transfer strategy of targeting young, exciting teenagers from all corners of the world having already completed the signing of Matheus Franca at the beginning of the month.

However, whilst the Brazilian predominantly operates in central and will be viewed as cover for Eberechi Eze, Fatawu is almost exclusively a right-winger, who could certainly soften the blow of Olise’s impending exit.

The former Reading sensation was unplayable for the Eagles last term, notching 11 assists, the fourth-highest total in the division, and became the first Palace player to claim double-digit assists in a single top-flight campaign.

The possible addition of Fatawu is not an expectation for him to emulate Olise’s numbers – as he has only made 12 appearances for the senior side – but it could be an important source of depth for a depleted attack.

Upon Franca’s arrival, chairman Steve Parish said he would be a ‘popular addition to the nucleus of this young and entertaining squad’ and Fatawu’s potential introduction would surely follow suit.