Who is Adam Wharton? The next Championship gem set for Crystal Palace
It has become customary to see Premier League clubs pay huge fees to secure talented players from abroad. But the stricter enforcement of the league profitability and sustainability rules are now forcing teams to find better value in other markets.
The Championship for example has great quality on offer, and the likes of John Stones, James Maddison and Joe Gomez have all successfully made the jump up to the top tier in the past.
When it comes to scouting and signing the best young players from the English second tier, very few teams do a better job than Crystal Palace. Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise were recently signed from Queens Park Rangers and Reading respectively, and both have gone on to become important players at Selhurst Park.
Now the south London club look to have beaten off competition to get their hands on the next potential star - Adam Wharton. With a WhoScored rating of 6.76, Wharton is the second highest rated teenager in the Championship this season.
The 19-year-old broke through at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, starting six of the last seven games, and has now established himself as a key part of Jon Dahl Tomasson's Blackburn Rovers.
The likes of Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Newcastle had all been scouting Wharton, but he has smartly opted to continue developing at a club that can offer him more first team minutes.
Adam Wharton Transfer Value - how much is he worth?
As per FootballTransfer’s Player Valuation Model, Wharton has a current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €5.8m. That would be considered fair value for a teenager with no top flight experience.
But Blackburn find themselves in a precarious position in the league, and were fighting to keep hold of their prized asset until the end of the season.
With it also being harder to bring in a replacement so late in the window, Palace needed to pay a big premium and coughed up a reported £22.5m after add-ons.
What does Adam Wharton bring to a team?
Wharton plays as a central or defensive midfielder, and has a do-it-all skill set that makes him effective at both ends of the pitch.
In this Blackburn side, he ranks first for chances created, second for assists and tackles won and third for interceptions, highlighting his wide range of influence on the team this season.
On the ball, Wharton’s fantastic technical ability shines through. His comfort with both feet allows him to turn and make quick adjustments, giving him that extra bit longer to complete his next action.
The England U20 international often picks up the ball in deeper areas and uses his excellent ball carrying and passing to break the lines and drive his team forward. He seems to always be in the right position to receive the ball, and has a sense for finding the right pass that is unique in a player so young.
The data backs this up as Wharton’s 6.48 progressive passes, 1.61 key passes, 0.6 through balls and 1.1 carries into final third rank highly compared to positional peers in the Championship.
But how does Wharton fit into a Palace side that makes more tackles on a 90 minute basis than any other Premier League team?
The left-footed midfielder’s work rate and stamina make him a box-to-box operator who will fit right in. His strong desire to win the ball sees him make 4.2 tackles and interceptions, and challenge three dribblers per 90, putting him in the top 8% of midfielders from the league.
Wharton can also play through the press and will add a lot of energy and technical quality to Roy Hodson’s midfield, which has often looked out of ideas in the build-up.
The Blackburn academy graduate is accustomed to the physicality of the English second tier, and should be able to adapt to the intensity of the Premier League with relative ease.
Wharton is not the finished article yet, and some might say that another season in the Championship would have better set him up for a big move. But great talents look to take on big challenges, and we’ll see what he is made of soon enough.
This article was provided by FootballTransfers
