Crystal Palace decided not to sign a direct replacement for Michael Olise during the summer transfer window.
Dougie Freedman – Director of Football at Selhurst Park – could have targeted another left footed winger who cuts inside from the right flank, maintaining the balance to Oliver Glasner’s attack which yielded six wins and a draw from the final seven Premier League outings of last season.
Instead, Crystal Palace opted to replace the France international in the form of three vastly different players, as Eddie Nketiah, Ismaila Sarr and Daichi Kamada all arrived in SE25.
Unfortunately, they are yet to gel under Glasner, leaving us without a win after six Premier League games of the 2024/25 campaign.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 15 | -8 | 4 |
| 17 |  LeicesterLeicester | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 3 |
| 18 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 3 |
| 19 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 12 | -9 | 1 |
However, we believe there is one reason why Steve Parish decided not to directly replace Michael Olise.
Crystal Palace did not want to block Jesurun Rak-Sakyi pathway
We feel Parish and Freedman didn’t want to block Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s pathway into the starting XI next season by signing a stellar name to play on the right.
Rak-Sakyi is currently impressing on loan at Sheffield United, where he has helped the Blades remain unbeaten after seven Championship games so far.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 5 |  BlackburnBlackburn | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 15 |
| 6 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 14 |
| 7 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 13 |
| 8 |  WatfordWatford | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 13 |
| 9 |  Hull CityHull City | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 12 |
The England U20 international is a vastly similar profile of footballer to Olise, as he also prefers his left foot, and loves to cut inside from the right flank.
The 21-year-old proved he can be a reliable source of goals during the 2022/23 campaign, when he scored 15 in 43 League One appearances on loan at Charlton, along with eight assists.
As you can see, the quality of Rak-Sakyi’s finishing is immense, and with a full campaign of Championship football under his belt, we believe he will be ready to start for Crystal Palace next season.
Oliver Glasner could call on Rak-Sakyi sooner
Interestingly, Crystal Palace did negotiate an option to recall Rak-Sakyi during negotiations with Sheffield United.
That would suggest there is a vague idea to get the man from Southwark involved this season, if the new attack continues to struggle under Glasner.
In our view, recalling Rak-Sakyi would be a wise move as things stand, with the frontline severely lacking any balance.
Nketiah has bizarrely been used on the right, so a recall for the Londoner would at least – potentially – see the Crystal Palace No.9 moved into the centre.
Hopefully, Sheffield United continue to start Rak-Sakyi, and he can keep improving at Bramall Lane as Glasner aims to discover his best attack back at Selhurst Park.
