Xabi Alonso will formally take charge of Chelsea on July 1 after being announced as the newest head coach in May
Xabi Alonso could be making the same mistake with Michael Olise’s brother just days before officially taking charge of Chelsea.
The Spaniard will begin his work at Stamford Bridge on July 1 after agreeing a four-year contract in west London. The former Liverpool star managed Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen before joining the Blues and has plenty of experience under his belt when it comes to making transfer decisions.
However, he could be making a huge mistake in allowing Richard Olise to leave upon the expiration of his contract. The younger Olise brother has spent 10 years in the Chelsea academy but has not made a single first-team appearance.
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He was named on the bench in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Astana in the Conference League during the 2024/25 season. This allowed him to claim a medal when the Blues clinched the trophy over Real Betis last May.
The 21-year-old will now be a free agent and can move elsewhere. While there are no reported suitors for the defender as yet, by allowing him to leave at such a young age, Chelsea are risking repeating the same mistake with Richard that they made with Michael.
The elder Olise sibling suffered a similar fate in 2014 after being released by the Blues as a teenager, having spent seven years in the academy and not being promoted to the first team. The then-14-year-old headed to the Manchester City youth set-up before joining Reading, where he made his senior debut at 17 against Leeds United.
Chelsea would live to regret this decision to let Olise go as he has arguably become one of the world’s most sought-after stars in European football. The winger moved to Crystal Palace in 2021 and began his path to stardom with Chelsea’s city rivals.
The France international made 41 goal contributions in 90 appearances for the Eagles before joining Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in a deal worth £50.8million. The rest is now history as Olise is now a double German champion and most recently won Player of the Season in Germany. He is one of the favourites to win the Golden Ball at the World Cup.
He has 96 goal contributions in 107 appearances for Bayern and also turned down a move back to Chelsea in 2023. Olise was offered the opportunity to re-sign for the Blues before he headed to Germany but they failed to recapture the superstar winger.
While Richard operates in a different department to his brother, playing either on the left or right as a full-back, he may well follow in his older brother’s footsteps in having a glittering career after leaving west London.
Richard has represented England at the under-18s level while Michael is shining with France at the World Cup. Only time will tell if the 21-year-old will replicate his sibling’s career – but Alonso may be left ruing his mistake if he gets close to the Bayern star’s trajectory.
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