Chelsea's £45m signing already an upgrade on Kai Havertz

James Shearman

• Updated: 28 Sept 2023 19:34 BST
• 3 min read

Cole Palmer was the best player on the pitch in Chelsea's 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Brighton on Wednesday night.

Palmer signed for Chelsea on Deadline Day of the summer transfer window in a £45 million move away from Manchester City.

The 21-year-old had impressed on the rare occasion he played for Pep Guardiola's side, including the 2023 FA Community Shield, but he was unlikely to break into the first-choice eleven anytime soon.

READ MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

Instead, he decided to be a part of Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea project, where he has the chance to play an important role.

And, he showed Blues fans what he is capable of against Brighton, putting in a man of the match performance in the 'number 10' position.

His close control in tight spaces caught the eye at Stamford Bridge, while he also set up Nicolas Jackson's match-winning goal.

The two linked up well throughout the game, with Palmer robbed of a second assist as Jackson had a goal incorrectly disallowed for offside.

Palmer better than Havertz?

Chelsea fans left the ground believing that Palmer is the answer to their attacking midfield problem; Christopher Nkunku and Carney Chukwuemeka are both injured.

Meanwhile, he is also an upgrade on Kai Havertz, who left Chelsea for London rivals Arsenal in the summer.

The German joined the west London club for £72m, under Frank Lampard, and spent three frustrating seasons at Stamford Bridge.

Besides scoring the Champions League-winning goal, Havertz consistently failed to deliver and Blues fans were pleased to see him leave.

The 24-year-old would often go missing in games, as he has already done on multiple occasions for Arsenal, while Palmer was at the centre of everything Chelsea did well against Brighton.

The Englishman was constantly looking for the ball and always looked composed when he received it.

It may have only been one game, but Palmer proved that he is the attacking midfielder that Chelsea need to unlock defences.

Havertz, on the other hand, has already been dropped to the Gunners' substitute bench by Mikel Arteta.