The denial landed on X almost as soon as the story was out. “Another invention… magnificent inspiration,” Cherki wrote, mocking the premise that there was any problem between him and Olise with Les Bleus.
The Manchester City forward posted the message after L’Équipe’s Sunday edition claimed the two France attackers were struggling to connect off the pitch. The paper framed it as a clash of temperaments: Olise reserved and introverted, Cherki the opposite, and the Bayern Munich forward supposedly unimpressed by Cherki’s pranks in training.
‘There is a real complicity’
Cherki returned to the subject in a longer interview after France’s 4-1 win over Belgium on Monday night.
“My relationship with Olise? Contrary to what some may say, there is a real complicity,” he told TF1, as relayed by Get Football News France.
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“Everything that is said in the press concerning all players, you should not listen to.”
France were trailing to a 35th-minute Dodi Lukébakio goal when Zinédine Zidane’s substitutes turned the match in the final quarter of an hour: Désiré Doué pulled the hosts level, Cherki put them in front, and Olise added two late goals to complete the comeback.
From Bayern and City into Zidane’s attack
Both players arrived in camp with their club seasons already drawing scrutiny. Olise, a summer-2024 arrival from Crystal Palace, is Bayern Munich’s most-used attacker and a regular point of transfer speculation. Cherki moved to Manchester City from Lyon in 2025 and is working his way into a crowded Enzo Maresca attack.
Zidane, who replaced Didier Deschamps on 28 July 2026 after Deschamps’ 14-year run as France head coach, has leaned on both.
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France sit on 10 points in Nations League Group A1 and travel to Italy on 12 November, with Türkiye at home three days later closing out the league phase.
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