Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer are arguably two of the Premier League’s standout attackers.
Sadly for Manchester City fans, Palmer’s exit in 2023 meant the Norwegian could not form a potentially deadly partnership with his former teammate.
Kevin De Bruyne described Haaland as a “machine” and a striker who would be the dream for any attacking midfielder to play alongside.
With Cole Palmer playing his football as a number 10 at Chelsea, he would have managed to rack up the assist numbers De Bruyne did if he was given the chance to play in behind the 25-year-old.
Tottenham Hotspur FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League
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Cesc Fabregas picks Erling Haaland over Cole Palmer as the better player
When comparing Erling Haaland and Palmer to each other, it is important to note that the pair are fundamentally different players.
The former’s specialty is goalscoring while the latter is a creator at heart, despite being able to find the back of the net himself.
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However, while blind ranking players in a video with DAZN Football, Cesc Fabregas sided with Haaland over Palmer.
After ranking Haaland in his second place in a list of five players who will play at the FIFA Club World Cup, Fabregas named Palmer in third position, even though the number one slot being free.
Erling Haaland stats compared to Cole Palmer last season
Being an attacking midfielder himself, the Chelsea legend would have been expected to side with the Englishman.
But Cesc Fabregas opted for Haaland over Palmer, as the Manchester City striker outperformed the 22-year-old statistically last season.
STATS LAST SEASON ERLING HAALAND COLE PALMER
STARTS 42 41
GOALS 31 15
ASSISTS 4 12
Haaland started one more game than Palmer during the 2024/2025 campaign and yet, he amassed 35 goal contributions (31 goals and four assists) while the latter registered 27 (15 goals and 12 assists).
As a result, Cesc Fabregas’ preference can certainly be justified in this instance.