Phil Thompson Urges Liverpool to Sign Adam Wharton Before Transfer Window Closes

Phil Thompson has thrown down the gauntlet to Liverpool’s hierarchy, insisting the club must go “all out” to prise Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace before the window shuts.

The former Anfield captain believes the 22-year-old England international is exactly the kind of midfielder Liverpool need as they stumble towards the new season with a threadbare core.

Midfield numbers exposed

Curtis Jones is on his way to Inter Milan, a move that strips another homegrown option from Liverpool’s engine room. As it stands, Andoni Iraola will walk into Sunday’s 2026/27 Premier League opener at St. James’ Park with just three senior central midfielders: Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

Szoboszlai was Liverpool’s standout performer last season, scooping the club’s men’s player of the year award. Mac Allister and Gravenberch, though, went the other way, both suffering notable dips under Arne Slot.

For a side expected to play an intense, front-foot style under Iraola, those numbers look alarmingly light. Across four competitions, with a manager demanding relentless pressing, Liverpool are one injury crisis away from a full-blown problem in the middle of the pitch.

That’s where Wharton comes in.

Wharton on the radar – and out of reach?

Liverpool have tracked Wharton for some time. His rise at Palace has not gone unnoticed, and Manchester City recently tested the waters with an enquiry, only to be firmly knocked back by the London club.

Palace want to keep him. They have made that clear. Yet Thompson is adamant Liverpool should not be deterred.

Speaking on the BOYLE Sports and Footy Accumulators podcast, “No Tippy Tappy Football”, the 70-year-old spelled out his admiration for the midfielder.

“Adam Wharton is a player that I would be interested in signing for Liverpool,” Thompson said. “I can’t understand why nobody, in all this transfer merry-go-round, has picked him up this summer.

“He is one that you talk about in terms of having good character. At a football club, besides talent, you need people of good sort, and I've always looked at Wharton and thought he's a good character.

“I think he’s probably the next player Crystal Palace will have to sell, because they have to sell one a year for big money.”

The message is clear: if Palace are eventually going to cash in, Liverpool should be the ones writing the cheque.

Iraola’s rebuild still short

While the Wharton question lingers, Liverpool’s summer business has focused elsewhere. The club have already handed Iraola three fresh faces: defenders Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo, plus winger Victor Munoz.

There is also the long-running pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, a saga that continues to drag on as the season kicks off.

Even with those arrivals, Thompson sees a squad still several pieces short of competing at the very top.

“Liverpool still need four, maybe five, players in different positions,” he said. “Defensively, certainly; maybe a midfield player and a wide player too, because you need two quality players for every position.”

The scale of the rebuild does not scare him. He pointed to the club’s heavy spending last season and the financial muscle that giants like Liverpool and Manchester United can still flex.

“We had a massive spend last season and everybody's saying, 'how can they do it?' You look at the investment we get into our football clubs, the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United. When you see them traveling the world, it shows that they're the two biggest football clubs in the world.”

The implication is unmistakable: clubs of that size do not get to plead poverty when the squad is clearly short.

A decisive window looming

Liverpool head to Newcastle with a new manager, a new defensive look and familiar questions in midfield. Iraola’s style demands legs, bravery and depth in the centre of the pitch. At the moment, he has quality but not quantity.

Thompson’s solution is blunt. Go and get Wharton. Then keep going.

Liverpool have the money, the pull and the urgency. The only question now is whether they have the will to act before this window defines their season.