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Alex Scott, Keane Lewis-Potter, Harry Souttar and Joao Pedro all made the step up from the Championship to the Premier League in recent seasons, but have struggled to match the form that made Bournemouth, Brentford, Leicester and Brighton splash the cash for them.
Scott was labelled by Pep Guardiola as an “unbelievable player,” after Bristol City’s FA Cup tie against Manchester City. Lewis-Potter starred in his final season at Hull City scoring 13 goals. Souttar was one of Australia’s best players in the Qatar World Cup before a £15m move from Stoke to Leicester, while Brighton broke their record transfer fee to sign Pedro.
They have only had fleeting moments in their Premier League beginnings, something that can’t be said about Crystal Palace’s most recent Championship addition Adam Wharton, who has not just settled well since switching Blackburn for south London but has appeared as one of Oliver Glasner’s best performers in recent weeks.
Palace recently won three games in a row for the first time under the Austrian and at the start of that streak at Anfield, against a title-pushing Liverpool, Wharton announced himself. It was a performance from the young midfielder who belied his age of just 20 years. Indeed, Wharton was playing in a 4-0 defeat against Huddersfield Town four months prior, but he has taken everything in his stride and is a quick learner.
In that 1-0 win, Wharton dealt with the intensity and aggression, and, in what was the biggest game he has played in his career to date, he looked unnerved on the ball, as he started the move that created Eberechi Eze’s goal.
They followed that win up with convincing displays against West Ham and Newcastle, where again Wharton controlled the midfield battle against Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes in both games, players linked with both Manchester City this season.
As much as his great beginning has been down to his intelligence on the pitch, he also made a smart decision by choosing Crystal Palace as his next destination in his career, with Jurgen Klopp’s side, Everton and Newcastle United also reportedly interested in bringing him in.
Wharton was a needed asset for Roy Hodgson at the time, after Cheick Doucoure’s injury in November left Palace with a gaping hole that needed filling. If he had joined Eddie Howe’s side, he would have had a tough time competing with Guimaraes for a starting spot, Amadou Onana is one of Everton’s star players, and the high pressure and standards at Liverpool can be a difficult environment for young players to grow.
In fact, there aren’t many better clubs for a young, exciting Championship talent to go to when they are looking to take their first steps into the Premier League. Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze have become Palace’s standout players since moving from Queens Park Rangers and Reading respectively.
Wharton isn’t at the level of his two forwards yet but he has started 11 out of the 12 games since his £22.5m move, with his sole substitute appearance being his debut against Brighton. It was a difficult introduction after replacing Marc Guehi 28 minutes in, as his side lost 4-1 and he was partly at fault for Brighton’s third goal.
It was a rare mistake in his young top-flight career so far, but he has shown character to not just move on from it, but really stamp his authority on a Premier League midfield. His next challenge will be against Manchester United, and bar the Liverpool game, there will be a much larger audience watching, potentially including England manager Gareth Southgate.
With Uefa increasing the squad size to 26 players for the Euros in the summer, it allows Southgate to bring in players with more unique skill sets. With England possessing a wealth of attacking options, the base of the midfield is a weaker position in comparison.
Declan Rice is Southgate’s trusted defensive midfielder but beyond him, there is a lack of depth with Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold more likely to work alongside the Arsenal midfielder rather than displace him.
Kalvin Phillips’ underwhelming loan spell at West Ham has left him with a lot to do if he wants to get back into England reckoning, and Kobbie Mainoo, like Wharton, has been impressive since he was given a chance but is still relatively unproven.
It does leave Wharton with a chance to be used in a back-up role to Rice this summer, and with the 20-year-old facing off against Mainoo on Monday, it could be a good chance for him to prove why he deserves a seat on the plane to Germany over his United counterpart.
Southgate calling up the 20-year-old would be a surprise, and it wouldn’t be controversial to leave him behind but he has given something Palace fans were desperately calling for.
“I don’t really think too much about that”, Wharton admitted, claiming a place in Southgate’s squad in Germany would be a “bonus”.
“My focus, especially at the moment, is all on Crystal Palace. There’s no international break until after the season. So, the next six weeks, whatever it is, I’m all Crystal Palace.
“I don’t really think too much about that”, he admitted. “My focus, especially at the moment, is all on Crystal Palace. There’s no international break until after the season. So, the next six weeks, whatever it is, I’m all Crystal Palace.”
In January, the travelling fans displayed a banner in a 5-0 loss to Arsenal reading: “Wasted potential on and off the pitch. Weak decisions. Taking us backwards.”
That message was shown nine days before Palace announced Wharton, and he has proven why Palace have made a great decision to choose him to lead their midfield, even if Southgate doesn’t for the time being.