For all the milestones Adam Wharton has ticked off since he signed for Crystal Palace in January last year there is one he has yet to celebrate: scoring a goal.
It took only four months for the midfielder to earn a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad thanks to some scintillating performances for the club, although Wharton didn’t play a minute at the tournament after making his debut in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He had to wait until last month to win his second cap, having played a starring role in Palace’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City – one of the 21-year-old’s many admirers and the visitors to Selhurst Park on Sunday. But Palace supporters have still not been treated to Wharton’s trademark backflip goal celebration, honed on a trampoline in his parents’ back garden in Blackburn.
Having joined his home town club’s academy at six, Wharton showcased his acrobatic ability when he scored his first goal for Blackburn against Birmingham 12 years later and he scored three more in his 44 appearances for the Lancashire club. The meeting with City will be his 50th for Palace since his move for an initial £18m and there have been signs recently that he is getting closer to breaking his duck, even if the laid-back Wharton doesn’t seem concerned. “If I don’t get assists or goals but I know I’ve played well, then I’m not too fussed – but I might score and have a terrible game,” he said last month.
What Wharton has lacked in goals he has made up for in other areas. He started as a No 10 in Blackburn’s academy but has thrived since being converted to a deeper role. The most striking thing about Wharton is his game intelligence and considerable self-belief, although the player who his father rather harshly described as a “bit of a loner” could never be accused of being arrogant.
That confidence is most evident in the way he is always looking to pick a forward pass and he has never been afraid to give the ball away, even if it might earn the occasional rebuke from Oliver Glasner. The Austrian replaced Roy Hodgson as Palace’s manager two weeks after Wharton signed and his guidance has been key. Glasner believes there is room for improvement from a player who missed three months last season after groin surgery.
“He played his first five months in the Premier League, then he was at the Euros with England and then he struggled massively with injuries, so I think last year he just played … I don’t know exactly, but 40% of the minutes,” Glasner said after another impressive performance from Wharton when he set up Eddie Nketiah for the opening goal in Palace’s win over Fulham last Sunday.
“So I think this is his first full Premier League season. And it was his first pre-season with us, because last year he missed it because he was with England at the Euros. Every player, and especially a young player, needs this rhythm, needs the training, needs the games. Adam is always adapting. And that’s because he’s playing, he understands the game and he’s fit. But I still think, like with all the others, I see a few parts of his game he can improve, he should improve and he will definitely improve.”
The question is whether Wharton can force his way into Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad. He missed out on being part of England Under-21 side that became European champions a few months ago after being concussed when a Kevin De Bruyne shot struck him on the head during the Cup final and also forced him to sit out the post-match celebrations. That allowed Elliot Anderson to move ahead of him in the pecking order at the base of England’s midfield after the Nottingham Forest midfielder was outstanding for Lee Carsley’s team in Slovakia. Anderson has settled in seamlessly since being promoted to the seniors and the experienced Jordan Henderson appears to be Tuchel’s favoured back-up as it stands. However, it is understood that Wharton made a good impression during the games against Serbia and Albania last month, so it would be no surprise if he were also included.
Regardless, Palace are expecting a clamour to sign him in the summer. Wharton has a contract to 2029 with no release clause, and the club are thought to value him at more than £80m. City, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United – who tried unsuccessfully to sign another backflipping central midfielder in Brighton’s Carlos Baleba in the summer – are understood to have shown interest, with the Palace chair, Steve Parish, saying recently that his club are making contingency plans should Wharton have to be replaced.
A January move appears out of the question given that Palace are in four competitions and fourth in the Premier League. Wharton’s camp has made no secret of his desire to play in the Champions League sooner rather than later. Although Palace are in unfamiliar territory in the second week of December, as Glasner continues to defy the odds in south London, that seems more likely to be elsewhere than at Selhurst Park.
