Liverpool's Need for Adam Wharton: A Midfield Solution

Liverpool’s summer rebuild has already taken shape in defence and out wide. The calls are growing louder for them to address the one area that still looks worryingly familiar.

Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony, a lifelong Liverpool supporter, has gone public with what many in the fanbase have been muttering for months: spend big on a midfielder. Not just any midfielder. Adam Wharton.

“Bring Wharton in”

Speaking on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan show, MacAnthony didn’t bother with subtlety.

“I’d love them to sign Adam Wharton,” he said, before turning the spotlight on one of Liverpool’s current mainstays. “I think [Alexis] Mac Allister, for me, his legs were gone last year. It was only when he put an Argentina shirt on that his legs reappeared.

“If you could do business there with him going, I think you bring [Wharton] in and you’ve got a player for the next seven, eight years that will be a starter. He’s got so much upside and potential in him. Even if he costs £85m-£100m or whatever else, you’re getting the player for the long-term.”

It’s a bold suggestion: cash in on a World Cup winner to bankroll a 22-year-old with one full Premier League season behind him. But it speaks to the scale of faith in Wharton’s ceiling.

Liverpool have already added Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo in defence, plus winger Victor Munoz. Harvey Elliott has returned from his stalled loan at Aston Villa. The midfield, though, remains structurally unchanged, and MacAnthony’s argument cuts straight into that anxiety around the spine of the team.

The £100m question

The timing complicates everything. Liverpool are locked in an expensive pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, a deal that would swallow a huge chunk of their remaining budget. To then pivot to another nine-figure outlay on Wharton in the final weeks of the window would demand a dramatic shift in strategy – or a major sale.

There was interest in the Crystal Palace midfielder earlier in the summer, but the noise has died down. No fresh, active links. No sense of an imminent move.

On Palace’s side, there is absolutely no urgency to sell. Wharton is young, English, and already a central figure at Selhurst Park. His numbers back up the hype. Across his Premier League outings for the Eagles, he’s shown the blend of ball-winning and creativity that top clubs now pay a premium for.

Declan Rice has already labelled him a “top-level” player, high praise from one of the league’s benchmark midfielders. The data supports that view. Last season, Wharton sat in the top bracket among his positional peers for big chances created (0.49 per 90, 95th percentile) and chances created overall (1.55 per 90, 84th percentile). He wasn’t just tidying up; he was driving his team forward.

He also ranked strongly for recoveries (5.8 per 90, 85th percentile) and possession won in the final third (0.6 per 90, 75th percentile), underlining how effectively he turns defensive moments into attacking platforms. Tackles (2.46 per 90, 64th percentile) and duels won (4.92 per 90, 51st percentile) show a player who competes, even if he’s not a classic destroyer.

So no, he isn’t the snarling, tough-tackling no.6 of old. He is, though, a modern midfielder who reads the game, wins the ball, and immediately looks to hurt opponents. That profile fits exactly where the top of the game is heading.

A familiar flaw exposed again

Liverpool’s need for a specialist holding midfielder has been an open wound since last summer. It reopened in painful fashion in the defeat to Monaco on Sunday.

After going 2-0 up, Liverpool lost control. The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle described how they “became disjointed and far too easy to play through”. James Pearce, writing in The Athletic, highlighted the lingering concern: “the fact they have not bought a specialist holding midfielder to ease the burden on [Ryan] Gravenberch is a worry”.

That’s the crux. The squad is not short of midfielders in pure numbers. What it lacks is an elite, natural no.6 who can anchor the side, protect the back line, and still contribute in possession at the level a title-chasing team demands.

Wharton doesn’t completely fit the stereotype of that role, but his ability to win the ball in midfield and ignite attacks speaks directly to Liverpool’s current weakness. He offers control, tempo, and progression – all qualities that desert them too easily when games become stretched.

Will Liverpool move?

Right now, the expectation is simple: Wharton will not be walking through the Shankly Gates before this window closes. The focus, and the money, appear to be pointed elsewhere.

Yet the idea refuses to go away. A 22-year-old Premier League-proven midfielder, praised by peers, backed by strong metrics, and with the potential to define a midfield for the next decade. That’s exactly the sort of profile that top clubs are building around.

MacAnthony’s call may sound extreme – moving on from Mac Allister to fund a nine-figure swoop – but it lands on a very real fault line in Liverpool’s squad planning.

If Liverpool truly want to close the gap at the very top, how long can they ignore the one position that keeps exposing them when the pressure rises?