Is it time to consider SELLING Haaland in FPL?

After nine Gameweeks of 2024/25, Erling Haaland (£15.4m) is by far the most-popular player in Fantasy Premier League, with over 73 per cent managers owning the Manchester City star.

Yet as many as FIVE of the top 10 managers in the world - and 11 of the top 20 - DON'T own the Norwegian. So should managers consider selling Haaland?

Here, The Scout compares the forward's start to 2024/25 with that of his premium rivals and shows what a "No Haaland" squad can look like.

How does Haaland compare with premium rivals?

Haaland has scored 11 goals across the first nine Gameweeks to rank third in the player standings on 75 points, averaging 8.3 points per match.

Yet he has been outperformed by Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) and Chelsea's Cole Palmer (£11.0m) due to their all-round output.

Salah has matched Haaland's 11 goal involvements, scoring six and assisting a further five to amass 84 points. The Egyptian has produced SIX double-figure hauls in his first nine appearances under new head coach Arne Slot. 

Palmer, meanwhile, has been involved in a league-high 12 goals, scoring seven and assisting five to collect 79 points.

At a cost of £11.0m in Fantasy, this means Palmer has returned 7.2 points per million spent - the most impressive of any premium player. Haaland, by contrast, ranks SECOND-LOWEST among the premiums for value, returning only 4.9 points per million spent, due to his huge £15.4m price tag.

Premium stars' output compared

Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) has proven the most consistent player in the analysis, with the Arsenal winger suffering only one blank across his eight appearances. 

Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins (£9.1m) has been far less reliable, with four blanks in nine outings. Nonetheless, he's another player who has offered better value than Haaland due to the substantial £6.3m difference in cost between the pair, with Watkins returning 5.6 points per million spent.

Son Heung-min's (£9.9m) potential as a midfield big-hitter is highlighted by his 6.8 points per match over his six outings for Tottenham Hotspur.

Who is the most likely to score?

While Haaland compares poorly with most of his premium rivals for value, managers who are considering selling him should be aware that his statistics for goal threat are far better than any other player.

His 43 shots and 39 shots in the box are both more than any other player this season. He's also the No 1 player for big chances - situations where the player is expected to score - with a total of 14.

Although Watkins' 21 shots are less than HALF Haaland's total, there's little to separate the pair for big chances, with the Villa star ranked second overall on 12. 

Salah and Palmer fare the best among the premium midfielders for big chances, with 10 and eight respectively.

Similarly to Haaland and Watkins, the duo's goal conversion rates seem sustainable due to their world-class finishing. While the same can also be said for Son, Saka's finishing has been far less impressive. Just four of his 27 shots have been regarded as big chances and, as a result, the Gunners' star has scored a mere 11.1 per cent of his attempts.

Premium stars' goal threat 24/25

Clearly, the goal threat statistics only emphasise that selling Haaland is a massive risk as he is far and away the player most likely to score. 

But in saying that, you also have to factor in the scoring system in Fantasy here. Midfielders earn one point more than forwards for each goal they score, while they earn one point for each clean sheet their side collects, whereas forwards are not rewarded. So, Fantasy midfielders can be more impactful.

Who is most likely to get an assist?

Combining each player's goal threat with their creativity helps paint a clearer picture of their all-round potential in Fantasy. 

Haaland's five key passes and one big chance created are both the LOWEST in the assessment here. As the focal point in attack for his side, he is the least likely to get an assist of any premium player. 

The creativity statistics help to highlight that players such as Palmer, Saka and Salah have a huge advantage over the Man City star for assist potential.

For example, although he trails Haaland by eight big chances to 14 in the table above, Palmer has created a further nine such opportunities. He has therefore been involved in a combined 17 big chances compared with Haaland's total of 15.

A lofty 53 per cent of Palmer's big-chance involvements (nine out of 17) are therefore down to his creativity, whereas a mere seven per cent of Haaland's big-chance involvements (one out of 15) have been due to his creativity. 

Similarly, Saka may trail Haaland by four big chances to 14 but he has created a further 12 such opportunities. This means he has been involved in 16 big chances to the 15 of Haaland. 

Meanwhile, a third of Salah's big-chance involvements (five out of 15) are down to his creativity. 

Indeed, due to their all-round output, it's notable that Salah, Palmer and Saka have each been involved in a higher percentage of their side's goals when selected this season than Haaland.

Premium stars' creativity 24/25

Rotate your mobile device to see the full table

Essentially, then, the statistics show that Haaland is almost exclusively about pure goal threat and that his creativity is so minimal it is more or less rendered redundant. 

But the same cannot be said for Palmer, Salah, Saka or Son, as their creativity considerably lifts their big-chance involvement and potential for points in Fantasy.

Who has the best fixtures?

An assessment of each club's schedules also indicates that Haaland has the toughest upcoming run of any premium player.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), where the easiest possible fixture scores one and the hardest scores five, Man City's next eight matches score a combined total of 27, which equates to an average of 3.4. Indeed, only ONE of those encounters scores just two, away to Crystal Palace in Gameweek 15. 

By contrast, FOUR of Chelsea's next eight matches score a mere two, with Palmer facing promoted pair Leicester City and Southampton, as well as Brentford and Everton.

Both Chelsea and Arsenal score an average of 2.9 in the FDR across that spell, with Liverpool just behind on 3.0. 

Average FDR score of GW10-17 opponents

Similarly to Palmer, Salah has FOUR matches that score only two across Gameweeks 10-17, with matches against Brighton & Hove Albion, Southampton, Everton and Fulham handing the Egyptian the chance to deliver more big hauls. 

When that factor is combined with their potential for goals and assists, this suggests than Palmer, Salah and Saka all have the fixtures to outscore Haaland in the coming eight-Gameweek period.

What could a "No Haaland" squad look like?

Going on the data so far, there's no denying that Haaland looks very likely to retain the Golden Boot for the third successive season as the top goalscorer in the league.

But both Palmer and Salah's stats show that it's not just about goals, with their potential for assists far exceeding that of the Norwegian.

Those two should be front and centre of any "No Haaland squad", while Saka's ridiculous consistency cannot be overlooked - and you could afford all three of those if you go without Haaland.

Add in Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo (£7.7m) and you could have a deadly four-man midfield comprised entirely of penalty-takers. 

Haaland's price can also be reinvested in defence, allowing you to own two of the four top-scoring players in the position, Gabriel (£6.3m) and Josko Gvardiol (£6.2m).

Up front, meanwhile, managers should assess each club's schedules to help them profit from the fantastic value offered by a host of forwards who are viable alternatives to Haaland.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha (£6.5m), Nottingham Forest star Chris Wood (£6.4m) and Brentford's Yoane Wissa (£5.9m) all boast the schedules to extend their excellent form.

According to the FDR, as many as SEVEN of Wolves' next eight matches score a mere two, giving Cunha the chance to add to his four goals and 41 points.

Wood is the second top-scoring forward in Fantasy, thanks to seven goals and 59 points. He has home encounters with West Ham United and Newcastle United over the next two Gameweeks before his schedule turns tough, and at that point a switch to Wissa could be a wise move. 

Wissa has four goals and two assists in only five starts, averaging an impressive 7.6 points per match in those outings. Three of his next four matches score only two in the FDR, underlining his appeal as a source of terrific value at just £5.9m in Fantasy.