Grealish and Maddison out
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It’s been a whirlwind six months for Adam Wharton but the talented midfielder appears to be taking it all in his stride. The 19-year-old was calmness personified as he made his England debut against Bosnia on Monday night just over four months after moving to Crystal Palace.
The Eagles spent €21.1 million to sign Wharton from his boyhood club Blackburn Rovers after shining in the English Championship and he acclimatised to the Premier League seamlessly. Wharton started every game for Palace after making his top-flight debut against Brighton and he was an integral part of Oliver Glasner’s revolution as the Selhurst Palace side went undefeated in their last seven games, winning six. Gareth Southgate’s decision to name Wharton in his provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2024 was widely regarded as the England manager assessing some potential future prospects but it’s now widely reported that Wharton has made the final 26-man squad.
Adam Wharton selected ahead of Jack Grealish and James Maddison
Seven players will be cut from the initial 33-man squad and will miss out on the flight to Germany. England face Iceland in their final warm-up game at Wembley on Friday night and Southgate will need to submit his final squad just one hour after full-time with the deadline at 11pm. But news broke on Thursday afternoon of Southgate’s final decision and it was widely reported amongst reputable outlets that Wharton will be heading to Germany. It’s understood that Harry Maguire, James Maddison, Jack Grealish, Curtis Jones, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jarrel Quansah are the seven players to miss out.
Southgate and his coaching staff faced agonising decisions especially with injury doubts lingering over several players. Luke Shaw is the only natural left-back in the squad but he’s not played since February but he made the squad with his Manchester United teammate Harry Maguire missing out due to a calf injury. Anthony Gordon was unable to play at St James Park against Bosnia due to an ankle problem and Southgate has conceded that John Stones isn’t at full fitness but both made the cut.
Wharton’s incredible skillset and calmness in possession bolstered his chances and he clearly already impressed his teammates and Southgate after joining up with the first-team squad for the first time..“I like what he’s done with us in the first few days,” Southgate said. “He sees pictures early and can play forward. It is very early for him but lovely that he looked as comfortable as he did. The other players have recognised his quality very quickly. Obviously he’s got quality on the ball but it’s the ability to receive and play the ball forward that’s really caught our eye.”
Why Adam Wharton made the final England squad
While Southgate has a plethora of attacking midfielders at his disposal, only six players were named in the midfielder category – Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Curtis Jones, Conor Gallagher, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Wharton. Alexander-Arnold has been named as a midfielder despite naturally being at right-back and he’s playing in midfield sporadically for Liverpool. Rice enjoyed an outstanding debut season at Arsenal and he will be integral to England’s prospects in Germany given the inexperience around him in midfield. Jones (0), Mainoo (2), Gallagher (12) and Wharton (1) have only amassed 15 caps between them and Southgate is likely to deploy a double pivot with Jude Bellingham in a more advanced midfield role.
Wharton looked completely unfazed on debut for England and he’s supremely confident at receiving the ball in tight spaces, manipulating his body to avoid pressure and his passing range is excellent. The Crystal Palace enjoyed a 100% passing success rate against Bosnia after completing all 36 passes. In Mainoo and Wharton, England possesses two fantastic midfield prospects with attributes that previous squads have badly lacked and the Crystal Palace has cemented his incredible rise by making Southgate’s final squad – both feature in the Transfermarkt’s top ten most valuable U21 English players.
Ben Littlemore, UK Content Manager at Transfermarkt, believes Wharton should be included in England’s final squad, adding: “For me, Wharton has to make the final cut as England are short on midfield options and if Rice were to be unavailable, I think Wharton is the only other player suitable to that role. He already looks so composed on the ball and has a great ability to wrap passes into the more attacking players between the lines.”
Adam Wharton’s incredible rise and Crystal Palace excellence
Wharton fitted in seamlessly at Palace following his transfer and he excelled after Glasner’s appointment in February when the Germany boss switched to a 3-4-3 formation. The former Frankfurt manager’s ingenious tactical switch allowed Palace’s best two players – Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise – to play more centrally and closer to Jean-Philippe Mateta. Wharton dovetailed in the midfield two, usually alongside the experienced Will Hughes, and Palace enjoyed a stunning end to the season – only Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea collected more points across the last ten games and only Pep Guardiola’s men across the last six.
Wharton’s market value was only €10m when he joined Palace but it increased by €10m in the March update before receiving another €10m upgrade in Transfermarkt’s May update. It’s already been reported that top English clubs and German giants Bayern Munich are already monitoring him ahead of a potential summer move. The Englishman’s incredible rise doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon and his international and club teammate Eze is a massive admirer of Wharton’s talents. “He’s an incredible player to play with,” Eze said. “Playing with him at Palace, I’ve got used to seeing the way he plays and understanding him. He’s very calm, composed, and a joy to play with. For someone so young, he’s very mature and very wise. When you speak to him, it feels like you’re speaking to someone older than you, that’s the type of person he is. He’s an incredible player.”