It will be interesting to see what Liverpool and Arne Slott do in the January transfer window and what they leave until the summer transfer window.
The market in which the Reds shop will also be an interesting one as they struggle to sign domestic and international players in the summer transfer window.
Florian Wirtz has scored one goal in the Premier League since joining for £116m from Bayer Leverkusen, while Alexander Isak has scored two goals in the top flight since joining for £125m from Newcastle United, showing that there are no guarantees in football.
However, this should not deter FSG from pursuing big-money contracts from domestic and international markets, as each case should be handled individually.
Liverpool plan summer move for Premier League star
The Reds are unfazed by the lack of production from their big-money contract. That’s because they are already considering a summer move for a star player that could cost the same amount of money.
Liverpool are planning to sign central midfielder Adam Wharton from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace in a summer raid, according to the Daily Mail.
In an article about what the Reds could do in the current period, the report explains that they could wait until the summer to pursue a deal for the England international to strengthen their options in the center of the park.
Ahead of the 2025/26 season, it was reported that the Eagles were valuing Wharton at a fee of up to £100m, but it remains to be seen whether their valuation has changed six months on since then.
Why Liverpool should sign Adam Wharton
The Reds need to press on to win the race for the central midfielder in the summer transfer window later this year, as he could become the club’s next Jordan Henderson.
Liverpool signed 20-year-old Henderson from Sunderland for £20m in 2011 to strengthen Kenny Dalglish’s midfield, but he was far from a high-profile addition, having arrived from a mid-table team rather than as a star player from a major European or English team.
However, the central midfielder captained the club during his time at Anfield, won the Premier League title and the Champions League trophy, and made 492 appearances in all competitions, according to Transfermarkt.
Henderson has always been a reliable deep midfielder with consistency, quality and leadership skills, which is the reason for his success and longevity.
Wharton has the potential to be a similar presence in the middle of the park, as a star who loves to pick up the ball and play forward passes to teammates, while also being combative and aggressive when in possession.
As you can see from the graph above, Wharton’s form this season is quite similar to Henderson’s previous Premier League campaign with Liverpool, and he has excelled in similar areas.
One thing that really stands out is that they rank incredibly high in progressive passes per 90 points. This speaks to their ability to drive passes to players up front and allow exciting attackers to win the ball in forward positions as quickly as possible.
Highest xA in 25/26 PL | |
|---|---|
player | Shah |
Rayan Cherki | 4.4 |
Bruno Fernandes | 4.1 |
Bukayo Saka | 4.0 |
jeremy doc | 3.9 |
Pedro Neto | 3.9 |
Adam Wharton | 3.5 |
Brian Mbeumo | 3.5 |
Declan Rice | 3.4 |
Jack Grealish | 3.3 |
Enzo Fernandez | 3.2 |
Statistics by FotMob | |
As shown in the table above, Wharton has also been one of the most creative players in any position in the Premier League so far this season, ranking sixth among xA founding players.
A natural attacking midfielder, Bruno Fernandes is the only central midfielder to rank higher than him in that statistic, which speaks to the immense quality of creativity that the Palace star can provide in the middle of the park.
Wharton was described by one analyst in October as “the best Under-21 player in the Prem”, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment given that the 21-year-old star is also the youngest player on that creative star list.
In addition to his creativity, the midfielder has averaged 3.0 tackles and interceptions per game in the top flight this season, according to Sofascore, showing that, like Henderson, he can provide quality play in and out of possession.
The quality of his performances in the Premier League has been so high that Everton’s Jack Grealish went out of his way to claim that Wharton was the best player on the pitch against Palace in October, showing how highly he was rated by his colleagues.
In the next few days: Liverpool set to sign Semenyo for a better transfer fee of £43m
Liverpool are reportedly looking to sign a star player who could be an even better addition to Antoine Semenyo.
Wharton could therefore be the next Henderson candidate to arrive at Anfield in the summer. Another English midfielder signed from a mid-table Premier League club at a young age and has the potential to become a huge midfield star for years to come.
