Tuesday night saw Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise put on a masterclass that highlighted exactly what Liverpool have been lacking this season in a dazzling display of his abilities. Put simply, if Arne Slot was watching Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League semi-final clash with Bayern, he would be left in no doubt that Liverpool's summer shopping list ought to have the 24-year-old right at the very top.
The Frenchman has been among Europe's most impressive performers this campaign, netting 20 goals and providing 29 assists across 47 appearances. Olise was once more on the scoresheet on Tuesday night as Bayern and PSG served up a Champions League thriller, with the Germans falling 5-4 to Luis Enrique's outfit at the Stade de France in the opening leg.
Liverpool's Need for a Salah Successor
Liverpool are preparing for life without talismanic winger Mohamed Salah next term after he revealed in March his intention to depart the club this summer. The prospect of replacing a player who has surged to third place on the club's all-time scoring charts in less than nine years feels almost impossible.
Indeed, it's a harsh reality confronting Slot, Richard Hughes, the club's sporting director, and Liverpool's football executive, Michael Edwards. Yet the solution to that puzzle was gliding down the flank, drifting infield and tearing PSG left-back Nuno Mendes to shreds on Tuesday evening in Paris.
Olise's Impact on Display
The simple vision of Olise charging down the right wing on Tuesday evening, tormenting and testing the PSG defence with his left foot, will have sparked feelings of longing amongst every Liverpool supporter watching.
There's little question that Slot's team have lacked an injection of speed and inventiveness from wide areas this season. Former Reds favourite Luis Diaz was also a constant menace to PSG throughout the match. The discussion over whether it was wise to allow the Colombian to leave Anfield for the Bundesliga last summer will continue for as long as Liverpool encounter difficulties. Yet they can correct that perceived error by pursuing Olise this summer. The former Crystal Palace winger's display against PSG felt like a breakthrough moment.
Pennant's Verdict
Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has seen sufficient evidence. "Liverpool go out and get Olise right now, at all costs," he wrote on X. "There is your replacement for Mo Salah. AT ALL COSTS. Any amount plus [Cody] Gakpo."
Bayern's Stance on Olise
It won't be straightforward to entice Olise away from Bayern Munich, even if Liverpool offer a player like Gakpo as part of the deal. He is contracted to Bayern until 2029, having arrived from Crystal Palace back in 2024 for a reported £51million.
Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insisted his club would even reject a world-record bid for Olise this summer - a record Liverpool would be unlikely to pursue after their record-breaking signings of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak last summer.
"He's a wonderful player," Rummenigge told German media outlet t-online. "By the way, I also like the fact that he is so reserved and almost media-shy. This is the exception in today's world. He's a good guy, and on the pitch, he's, of course, outstanding, the way he celebrates football and almost does magic. That's why I'm not surprised that he is so incredibly popular and hyped by our fans."
Bayern's Unwillingness to Sell
Should the Reds test their chances with an eye-watering bid, Bayern are prepared to hold their ground. When questioned whether the German giants could realistically reject a £173m proposal for Olise, Rummenigge responded: "I'll tell you a story from the past. In 2009, we had an incredible offer from Chelsea for Franck Ribery. That would have been a new transfer world record at the time. I then took it to our CFO at the time, Karl Hopfner and Uli Hoeness. We discussed for two hours what we were going to do with this offer. On that day, we decided something fundamental: that we would not sell any more players in the future who we would miss on the pitch. And this unwritten law still applies today. For a player like Olise, there is no price tag that would make us cringe."
Regardless of the expense, Liverpool desperately require the speed, ingenuity and productivity Olise demonstrated to Europe against PSG. More than ever, they must back up their intentions with action and secure the player capable of succeeding Salah before one of their competitors gets there first.
