The Crystal Palace star making a late push for England’s Euro 2024 squad

Adam Wharton

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Recently, Alex Scott, Keane Lewis-Potter, Harry Souttar, and Joao Pedro have all moved from Championship to Premier League. However, unfortunately, they have not been able to replicate the impressive performances that made teams such as Bournemouth, Brentford, Leicester, and Brighton spend extravagantly on them.

Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City, called Scott an incredible player after their game against Bristol City in the FA Cup. Lewis-Potter had a fantastic final season at Hull City, scoring an impressive 13 goals. Souttar performed outstandingly for Australia in the Qatar World Cup and then made a significant transfer for £15m from Stoke to Leicester. Additionally, Pedro became Brighton's record-breaking transfer fee as the club were eager to sign him.

Crystal Palace's new signing from the Championship, Adam Wharton, has made a significant impact since joining the Premier League team. Unlike some of his teammates, Wharton has quickly adapted to his new environment and has proven to be one of Oliver Glasner's top performers in recent matches.

He gained fame when he played beautifully in the Eagles' game against Manchester United. He displayed his skills in midfield while playing against Kobbie Mainoo. This allowed players like Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze to perform well with his amazing forward passing.

The football team Palace managed to win three consecutive games with their Austrian coach, which they had never done before. One of those games took place at Anfield, where they played against Liverpool who were battling for the title. During that match, a young midfielder named Wharton proved himself with an impressive performance despite only being 20 years old. It's worth noting that in a game against Huddersfield Town four months prior, Wharton had played in a loss of 4-0. However, he has managed to take everything in stride and is a fast learner.

During the 1-0 victory, Wharton successfully dealt with the high intensity and aggressiveness of the opposing team. This game was the largest and most crucial one he has played thus far in his career, yet he remained composed while in possession of the ball. In fact, he initiated the play that ultimately led to Eze's goal.

After that victory, they went on to showcase their dominance against West Ham and Newcastle. Once again, Wharton was in charge of midfield strategies, overpowering his opponents Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes, who have been rumored to be linked with Manchester City for this season.

His successful start can be attributed to his exceptional skills on the field, but he also demonstrated astuteness in selecting Crystal Palace for his career progression. According to rumors, other teams like Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, Everton, and Newcastle United had expressed their desire to have him join their rosters.

Wharton became a valuable addition to Roy Hodgson's team when Cheick Doucoure suffered an injury in November, creating a significant vacancy that had to be filled. If Wharton had opted to join Eddie Howe's team instead, he would have faced a major challenge trying to compete with Guimaraes for a position in the starting lineup. Amadou Onana is considered a standout player for Everton, and the high expectations and intensity at Liverpool can be an intimidating setting for younger players to develop and thrive.

Actually, there are few clubs that are as good as this one for a talented, lively player in the Championship who wants to move up to the Premier League for the first time. Palace has two exceptional players, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, who have stood out since transferring from Queens Park Rangers and Reading, in that order.

Wharton hasn't reached the same level of his two fellow forwards just yet. However, he has already started 11 out of his 12 games since transferring for £22.5m. The only game where he wasn't a starter was during his debut match against Brighton. Unfortunately, his first impression wasn't the best as he came in as a replacement for Marc Guehi after 28 minutes and the team lost 4-1. To add to his disappointment, he was partly responsible for Brighton's third goal.

He made an unusual error in his early career at the top level of football. However, he has demonstrated his strength of character by not only overcoming it but also dominating a midfield in the Premier League. Up next for him is a match against Manchester United, which will have a significantly larger audience compared to the previous Liverpool game. The audience may include Gareth Southgate, the manager of the England national team.

Uefa has decided to expand the squad size to 26 players for the upcoming Euros in the summer. This change presents an opportunity for Southgate to bring in players possessing different and unusual skill sets. While England boasts of a rich array of attacking options, the midfield department is comparatively lacking.

Southgate relies on Declan Rice as his go-to defensive midfielder, but the rest of the squad lacks sufficient backups. Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are more likely to play alongside Rice, rather than take his spot on the field.

Kalvin Phillips didn't perform well during his time on loan at West Ham. This means he needs to work hard if he wants to be considered for the England team again. Similarly, Mainoo and Wharton have done well since they were given an opportunity, but they still need to prove themselves further.

This gives Wharton the opportunity to serve as a backup for Rice over the summer. He will compete against Mainoo on Monday, and this is his chance to show why he should be chosen over his United rival for a spot on the plane to Germany.

It would be a shock if Southgate selected the 20-year-old, and it wouldn't be a big deal if he didn't make the cut, but he has provided something that Palace supporters have been fervently requesting.

Wharton revealed that he doesn't give much thought to the possibility of being selected in Southgate's team for Germany. He expressed that it would be a nice surprise if he did make the cut.

Right now, my entire attention is on Crystal Palace. There won't be any kind of break related to international games until the end of the season. Hence, for the next six weeks or so, I'll be entirely focused on Crystal Palace.

He confessed that he doesn't dwell much on that matter. Currently, his main priority is Crystal Palace. There won't be any interval for international matches until the season concludes. Therefore, his complete attention is on Crystal Palace for the following six weeks.

During the month of January, supporters who were travelling displayed a banner during the game against Arsenal where their team lost by five goals. The banner stated that there was a lot of untapped potential on and off the football field. They felt the decisions made by the team were not strong and were leading them in the wrong direction.

The aforementioned statement was displayed nine days prior to the announcement of Wharton's recruitment by Palace. However, Wharton has already demonstrated his worth as an excellent choice for leading their midfield. This is despite Southgate not currently recognizing his abilities.

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