Michael Olise: the reasons Arsenal, Chelsea and City rejected him

Michael Olise was turned down by Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City before breaking through at Bayern and becoming a key piece for France, according to José Gomes, the coach who worked with him at Reading.

Gomes says Olise’s Arsenal spell was short: in 2009, aged eight, he couldn’t adapt and left the same year to join Chelsea. In Chelsea’s academy, the problem wasn’t football. He wasn’t giving enough attention to his studies and, at times, didn’t even attend classes.

From mockery to a comeback

After being rejected by Chelsea, Olise moved to Manchester City in July 2016. Gomes adds that teammates mocked him over his physique, claiming he lacked strength in his arms and struggling with push-ups. Feeling rejected and humiliated, he eventually left the City.

In July 2017, after six months without a club, he signed for Reading, where Gomes says he trained extremely hard. That resilience paid off: this season he has 8 goals and 4 assists for Bayern, and in France’s early “Zidane era” stretch in the Nations League he recorded 4 goals and 2 assists in his first four matches, including a comeback vs Belgium (4-1).