According to a report by Football London on Monday October 26, 2026, Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney has compared Cole Palmer with Dele Alli during his selection of a combined Chelsea and Tottenham team, ultimately favouring the former Spurs midfielder at his peak.

Palmer’s recent red card against Tottenham has attracted attention, but the incident does not erase his impressive achievements since joining Chelsea. His debut campaign under Mauricio Pochettino established him among the Premier League’s outstanding attacking talents.

Dele, meanwhile, is currently a free agent after his career declined following his departure from Tottenham. Despite his struggles, his best years at Spurs were exceptional, although his limited longevity has affected his legacy.

Deeney considered both players when assembling his combined XI, which features Chelsea’s current squad under Xabi Alonso alongside Tottenham’s 2017/18 team. He eventually selected Dele after initially appearing uncertain about the decision.

“Give me that Dele Alli over this current Cole Palmer,” Deeney said in a TikTok video. He praised the former Tottenham star’s quality and recalled his achievement of winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

Dele registered nine goals and ten assists in the 2017/18 Premier League season, including two goals during Tottenham’s memorable 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.

However, Palmer’s best Chelsea campaign remains remarkable. During the 2023/24 season, he scored 22 goals and supplied 11 assists in 34 league appearances, recording 33 goal contributions overall.

Comparing their strongest Premier League seasons, Palmer’s numbers surpassed Dele’s 2016/17 campaign, when the Tottenham midfielder scored 18 goals and provided nine assists across 37 appearances.

Palmer averaged 0.75 goals and 1.13 goal contributions per 90 minutes during his standout season, compared with Dele’s respective averages of 0.53 and 0.80. These figures highlight Palmer’s exceptional attacking productivity.

Deeney faced several other difficult decisions while assembling his combined team, eventually choosing Jan Vertonghen over Levi Colwill and Christian Eriksen ahead of Pedro Neto.

His final selection was Hugo Lloris; Kieran Trippier, Maxence Lacroix, Jan Vertonghen, Jorrel Hato; Moussa Dembele, Moises Caicedo; Morgan Rogers, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen; and Heung-Min Son.