Michael Olise and the Metrics That Justify a £90m Liverpool Move

Why Olise profiles as Liverpool’s best long-term Salah successor.

I’ve seen enough profiles over the years to know when a player isn’t just good, but elite. Michael Olise is one of those players. Now at Bayern Munich, with previous spells at Crystal Palace and Reading, Olise has Premier League and homegrown pedigree. The recent links to Liverpool seem credible because clubs like ours are always planning ahead, not just for the next match, but for the next evolution of the team.

Attacking metrics that demand attention

Let’s talk about what makes Olise so compelling.

He ranks in the 94th percentile for take-ons, averaging just under three per game. That alone marks him as highly aggressive in one-on-one situations. He averages more than six shot-creating actions per game, putting him in the 98th percentile, and his passing volume and quality are right up there too. His passing completion rate is 81%, which for a wide player is exceptional. Mo Salah, by comparison, typically sits around the mid 70s.

He also plays the final pass, his expected assisted goals (xAG) is in the 96th percentile, and with players like Harry Kane around him at Bayern, that reflects serious quality. Add to that over three and a half shots per game, non-penalty xG in the 90th percentile, and pass involvement in the right half space and zone 14, as the below plot from a recent game shows, and what you have is a complete attacking output.

These aren’t empty stats, they describe a player who receives the ball close to goal, drives forward, creates from nothing, and finishes moves. That is what Liverpool will need on the right when we eventually move on from Mo Salah.