Man City might have found their perfect Riyad Mahrez replacement

Inarguably the best team in Europe are having a quiet summer thus far. The treble winners have only signed Mateo Kovacic despite being omnipresent in transfer rumours and a couple of key players leaving the Etihad, while they continue to be linked to other players.

One such player is Michael Olise. The French star took the Premier League by storm last year with his performances for Crystal Palace.

The attacking midfielder accrued 31 starts in the league last season for the London side while providing 11 assists and scoring 2 goals. The goal tally might seem underwhelming but what must be kept in mind is that he is playing for a side that scored just 40 goals in 38 games.

Essentially, Olise had a direct hand in one-third of the goals that his team scored and had more goal contributions than Wilfried Zaha. He also created 72 chances for Palace last season which is by far the most amongst his teammates.

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Now, picture this contribution while playing alongside Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland. The treble winners instantaneously just become better with Olise in the team and cutting in from the right.

Replacing Riyad Mahrez is not an easy task. The Algerian national made himself one of the mainstays in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI. Last season, he made 30 appearances for the side while chipping in with 10 assists and five goals. He also had three goals and two assists in the UEFA Champions League while also scoring five times en route to FA Cup triumph.

Many expected City to get the chequebook out after winning the treble and go after big names. The plan ahead of the summer transfer window was to sign a midfielder (Kovacic) and a