Danny Murphy is an enormous fan of Adam Wharton – but he doesn’t think the Crystal Palace midfielder ought to be top of Liverpool’s shopping list next summer.
Wharton has established himself as certainly one of the Premier League’s best midfielders since his move from Blackburn Rovers in January 2024.
The Englishman played an important role because the Eagles won the FA Cup last season, and has began all 10 Palace games he has been available for this campaign.
Despite being under contract at Selhurst Park until 2029, Wharton has attracted interest from several top clubs, with Manchester United most recently linked with a £60million swoop for the 21-year-old.
Liverpool have also been linked with a move for Wharton, and their interest could have only increased after Palace chairman Steve Parish admitted the midfielder will want to move to a Champions League club in the approaching years.
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Nonetheless, Murphy believes that, while no fan would turn their nose up on the signing of Wharton, Liverpool must prioritise improving other areas of their squad next summer.
‘Well, I like him. I believe he’s a stunning footballer,’ Murphy told Metro via online casino BetWright.
‘The sport comes easy to him. And I understand why a lot of people could be concerned with him.
‘I believe in the intervening time, Liverpool are quite well covered. McAllister is a playmaker, Gravenberch can do it, Curtis Jones is in there and he’s not starting every part, Szobozslai can play in there. Endo’s on the bench; he’s a more tenacious, gritty, holding midfielder.
‘I might think the priority for Liverpool is at centre back. That’s obviously the one area individuals are concerned about.
‘Don’t get me incorrect, I don’t think there’s a Liverpool fan around who could be upset if Wharton joined us. But I’m unsure that in the intervening time, that’s the priority for Liverpool.’
‘Wirtz has to do more – but I’m not concerned’
For now, though, the main target for a lot of is on Liverpool’s signings from essentially the most recent summer window and the high-profile players who’re yet to hit the bottom running.
The Reds broke the British transfer record twice in a matter of months to usher in Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, but each are yet to stand up and running with a goal or assist within the league.
Wirtz, particularly, has found it hard to slide seamlessly into Slot’s set-up and was dropped for Liverpool’s defeat to Chelsea prior to the international break.
But despite that, Murphy has faith that the German international will show his class once he’s fully in control with the demands of the Premier League.
‘I believe he’s been a tad unlucky,’ Murphy said. ‘I’m unsure the narrative could be as strong if plenty of the possibilities he created had been put away, because he hasn’t made some really good probabilities.
‘If I believe back to the Everton game, even in Galatasaray, or the Chelsea game, the unbelievable flick for Salah, you’re 4 or five probabilities within the last three games where he really must have few assists to his name, which has nothing to do with him. It’s just been some poor ending.
‘But he must do more. I believe he might be a little bit bit surprised how physical the league is and the way intense it’s.
‘I mean, his running stats are good. It’s not a lot running around in his fitness levels. It’s more just the physicality of the teams you’re coming up against once you play the likes of Newcastle or Arsenal or Palace. These are teams with really physical players.
‘And perhaps within the Bundesliga, nearly all of the games he played, it wasn’t quite as intense. So, I believe that element has perhaps brought him out a little bit bit.
‘But I’ve seen a lot with him that I like. He’s such a clever footballer. So, I don’t really worry for him. I don’t think players of that class and that ability stay in a nasty little bit of form for long. They all the time come through and we’ve seen it prior to now. So, I’m not concerned by him.’
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