Liverpool plot for ‘best U21 player in the PL’

It will be interesting to see what Liverpool And Arne Slot decide to do during the January transfer window, and what they decide to leave until the summer transfer window.

The markets the Reds buy from will also be interesting as they have struggled with their domestic and international signings since the summer transfer window.

Florian Wirtz scored one Premier League goal since his £116m move of Bayer Leverkusen, while Alexander Isak’s double in the elite after a transfer of 125 million pounds sterling of Newcastle United shows that there are no guarantees in football.

Their respective struggles, however, should not deter FSG from seeking major signings in domestic or international markets, as each case must be handled individually.

Liverpool plot summer move for Premier League star

The Reds have not been deterred by the lack of results from their big-name signings, as they are already considering a summer move for a star who could cost a similar sum of money.

According to the Daily MailLiverpool are preparing a summer swoop to sign central midfielder Adam Wharton from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace.

In an article on what the Reds could do in the current window, the report explains that they could wait until the summer to agree a deal for the England international to strengthen their options in the middle of the park.

It has been reported ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, the Eagles value Wharton at a price of up to £100 million, and it remains to be seen whether their valuation has changed over the following six months.

Why Liverpool should sign Adam Wharton

The Reds are expected to push to win the race for the central midfielder’s signature in the summer transfer window later this year as he has the potential to be the club’s next Jordan Henderson.

Liverpool signed Henderson from Sunderland when he was 20, for £20 millionin 2011 to strengthen Kenny Dalglish’s midfield, in what was far from a high-profile addition, as he joined the midfield rather than as a star of another top European or English team.

The central midfielder, however, went on to captain the club to a Premier League title and a Champions League trophy during his time at Anfield, making 492 appearances in all competitions, according to Transfermarkt.

Henderson was a consistently reliable deep midfielder who offered consistency, quality and leadership skills, which is why he had the success and longevity that he had.

Wharton has the potential to offer a similar presence in the middle of the park as a star who likes to pick up the ball and play forward passes to his teammates, while also being combative and aggressive out of possession.

As you can see from the table above, Wharton’s form this season is quite comparable to Henderson’s last Premier League campaign with Liverpool, as they excel in similar areas.

One thing that really stands out is that they both rank incredibly well for progressive passes per 90, which is a testament to their ability to send passes to players up front to allow exciting attackers to win the ball back as quickly as possible and in advanced positions.

Wharton, as the table above shows, has also been one of the most creative players across all positions in the Premier League so far this season, ranking sixth for xA creation.

Bruno Fernandes, who is a natural attacking midfielder, is the only central midfielder who ranks above him in this statistic, which is a testament to the immense creative quality that the Palace star can offer in the middle of the park.

Wharton was nicknamed “the best U21 player of the Prem” in October by an analyst, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment, given that the 21-year-old star is also the youngest player on this list of creative stars.

In addition to his creativity, the midfielder is also averaging 3.0 tackles and interceptions per game in the top flight this season, according to Sofascore, showing he can provide quality in and out of possession, as Henderson has done.

Such has been the quality of his performances in the Premier League that Everton’s Jack Grealish went out of his way to claim that Wharton was the best player on the pitch during their clash against Palace in October, showing just how highly regarded he is by his peers.

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Therefore, Wharton could arrive at Anfield this summer as the next Henderson in the making, as another English midfielder signed at a young age for a Premier League midfield club, with the potential to be a huge deep-lying midfield star for many years to come.