Troy Deeney described Adam Wharton as a ‘wonderful player’ but isn’t sure the Crystal Palace midfielder is prepared for a move to a Champions League club.
Wharton has established himself as considered one of the Premier League’s best midfielders since his move from Blackburn Rovers in January 2024.
The Englishman played a significant role because the Eagles won the FA Cup last season, and has began all 10 Palace games he has been available for this campaign.
Wharton stays under contract at Selhurst Park until 2029, but his impressive form means the 21-year-old is now being tracked by a few of the biggest clubs on this planet.
It was reported over the weekend that Manchester United were keen to bring Wharton to Old Trafford to resolve their midfield issues and were confident of striking a deal value around £60m.
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Liverpool have also been linked with a move for Wharton, and their interest can have only increased after Palace chairman Steve Parish admitted the midfielder should want to move to a Champions League club in the approaching years.
Nonetheless, while also a fan of Wharton, Deeney said he’s yet to be convinced that the midfielder is able to take the following step up and play for considered one of Europe’s elite sides.
‘He’s a beautiful player and he’s great for Palace and he offers loads but I’m not sold on him 100 per cent if I’m being totally honest,’ the previous Watford striker told talkSPORT.
‘I believe he’s superb, very neat and really tidy. He absolutely needs to be within the England squad because I believe No6 area is an area we struggle with.
‘I see numerous talk in the intervening time about going to Champions League places and wanting to play at the next level.
‘I haven’t seen that consistently enough yet, each with fitness and staying available.
‘Then secondly, what’s he going to cost to go to those other teams? Probably, £70-80million? What’s the expectation for that?
‘For £70-80million, I’d expect someone who’s neat and tidy but in addition the athleticism to interrupt away from players. He doesn’t really have that.
‘But he’s a unbelievable footballer, so I don’t want to come back across negatively in any respect. Would he go into Manchester United now for instance, and we go, ‘Oh, that puts them within the Champions League places?’ I don’t think so.’
Ex-Chelsea striker Carlton Cole, meanwhile, urged his former side to think about a move for Wharton to create a ‘formidable’ midfield alongside Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
‘Moises Caicedo is a top player, but adding Adam Wharton alongside Enzo Fernandez would create a formidable midfield,’ Cole told Boyle Sports. ‘That’s a tasty combination, with those three in midfield and all the things around it. That’s proper.
‘It could be a really, very hard defence to get by. Going forward, they’ve got the lot.
‘They probably need an additional pair of legs in there to bolster the midfield, especially with the Champions League and so many domestic games coming up.
‘They may come up slightly bit short if the boys aren’t fit to play, which burns out one other a part of your team.
‘They may support that with a top-quality player from the English squad. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if Wharton went to Chelsea, they usually’d have a look at that as an asset.’
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