A outstanding Liverpool-focused journalist isn’t ruling out an Anfield swoop for one ‘prime degree’ midfielder this month, though it’d require ‘loopy’ cash to tug it off.
David Lynch was talking on the Born N’Purple podcast (by way of Playback) when he talked about the Reds’ long-standing curiosity in Adam Wharton, whose fairytale 2024 has seen him earn a Premier League transfer to Crystal Palace and make the England squad for a serious event.
The reporter said: “Adam Wharton was positively somebody [LFC] watched at Blackburn, so that they clearly form of favored him round then, the recruitment workers, so I believe that’s fascinating.
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“The massive drawback there’s clearly what would Palace ask for? They’ve solely simply signed him, he’s simply change into an England worldwide since then, his inventory has simply gone up and up and up. The payment might be loopy and they’d strike a tough discount, however let’s see.
“I don’t suppose that’s one you possibly can confidently rule out simply on the premise that they’ve favored him up to now. I’m positive from what they’ve seen at Palace they gained’t have gone off him.
“That’s one possibly to keep watch over however that’s actual tentative stuff to be sincere. It’s a participant they’ve favored up to now so let’s see if something comes of that.”
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As Lynch identified, Liverpool’s curiosity in Wharton does certainly pre-date his arrival at Palace – the Reds have been credited with curiosity within the midfielder final November when he was nonetheless at Blackburn.
He value the Eagles an preliminary £18m within the winter switch window (BBC Sport), however along with his inventory rising exponentially since then – England teammate Declan Rice dubbed him a ‘prime degree’ participant on the eve of Euro 2024 (Sky Sports activities) – the 20-year-old might certainly command a far increased payment now.
A median of three.33 tackles per 90 minutes over the previous 12 months locations him within the prime 5% of positional friends in Europe’s 5 predominant leagues in that timeframe, whereas he additionally ranks within the 84th percentile for interceptions per recreation with 1.39 (FBref).
These figures recommend that Wharton would supply Liverpool with an uncompromising presence on the base of midfield, and somebody to carry down that place within the long-term at Anfield whereas already being confirmed at a excessive degree.
In reality, we don’t envisage the Reds making a big-money supply for the Palace enforcer this month given how troublesome it’d inevitably be to steer the Eagles to promote, however he actually suits the profile of participant who’d be ideally suited for the undertaking that Arne Slot is striving to create on Merseyside.
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