It's safe to say that Reading have taken a number of teams by surprise in the Championship this season, as they mount a serious challenge for promotion into the Premier League. 

The Royals are currently sat fifth in the second-tier standings, and will fancy their chances of returning to the top-flight once again this term.

One player that has played a starring role in their bid for promotion this season is Michael Olise, with the 19-year-old making 36 appearances in all competitions for Veljko Paunovic's side.

Olise's impressive run of form hasn't gone unnoticed though, with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool being just of the teams interested in landing his signature heading into the summer transfer window.

In our latest FLW Spotlight, we take a look at Olise's statistics from this season in more detail....

Olise has featured in 2503 minutes of action this season in all competitions, with Veljko Paunovic not always having Olise on the pitch for the full 90 minutes.

The Reading boss has been keen to keep Olise rested appropriately this season, which seems as though it's a wise move as they head into a crucial period of this year's campaign.

The youngster has chipped in with five goals and 12 assists so far this term, and he'll fancy his chances of adding to that tally before this season reaches a conclusion.

He's been deployed in a number of positions in midfield for Reading this season, and has often caused opposition defences a problem with his trickery on the ball, with the 19-year-old being fouled over two times each match according to statistics sourced from Wyscout.

Olise has also shown his composure and eye for a pass on the ball, with Olise have a pass accuracy of 82.6% from the 2303 passes he has attempted so far this term.

 

 

Reading are set to return to action on Wednesday evening, when they take on relegation-threatened Birmingham City at St. Andrew's, in a game they'll be expected to pick up three points from.

The Blues are currently sat 21st in the Championship table, and are just three points clear of the relegation zone, although 22nd-placed Rotherham United have four matches in hand over Birmingham, which means their status as a second-tier club hangs in the balance.

Reading have everything to play for themselves in this one though, and Veljko Paunovic will be hoping that Olise can play his part in a positive result against the Blues, who look set to appoint Lee Bowyer as their new manager in the near future according to Sky Sports.

If Reading aren't to win promotion back into the Premier League, then you would imagine that a number of clubs are likely to register their interest in Olise in the summer transfer window.