Key Points

The 35-year-old has been a near-ever-present throughout the London side's longest top-flight spell to date, playing a key role in many of the most important moments in modern Crystal Palace history. He played his last home game on Tuesday night in a thrilling 4-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Ward initially joined the club from Portsmouth at the beginning of the 2012/13 season in the Championship, playing a significant role in the club’s promotion to the Premier League and has overall played 364 matches for the Eagles – a total which places him eighth in Palace's list of all-time appearances , while scoring six times for the club.

Olise, on the other hand, joined Palace from Reading in July 2021 and flourished into a top-tier talent, making 90 appearances for Crystal Palace, scoring 16 times and registering 25 assists. His impressive outings saw him secure a reported 60 million euros move to Bayern ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Olise has impressed in his debut season for the Munich side and immediately established himself as a key player. The 23-year-old attacking player has now been honoured by the German Football League (DFL) for his outstanding performances in the Bundesliga, being voted Rookie of the Season for 2024/25.

He scored 17 goals and provided 21 assists in 50 appearances in all competitions and was the team’s second-highest scorer after Harry Kane. He topped the Bundesliga assist chart with 15 provisions. Since detailed data collection began in the 2004/05 season, only Emil Forsberg of RB Leipzig has provided more assists in his first Bundesliga season (19 in 2016/17) than the Frenchman.

Olise’s visit comes at a special time for Crystal Palace after they recently secured their first ever major trophy and that too by defeating top dogs Manchester City 1-0 in the F.A Cup final at the iconic Wembley Stadium.

- IANS