Wharton has gone from Championship football to England's Euro 2024 squad, Premier League stardom and £60m Bayern Munich links in just six months...
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Gareth Southgate was not afraid to roll the dice with his provisional Euro 2024 squad on Tuesday.
The England boss named five uncapped players in his 33-man selection, while established Three Lions veterans like Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling were nowhere to be seen.
But one name perhaps stood out above all others to fans perusing the list of call-ups: Adam Wharton.
The 20-year-old was arguably Southgate's biggest wildcard selection, and a name that won’t be familiar to those who haven’t been paying close attention to Crystal Palace’s exploits in the last few months.
Wharton rose through the ranks at Blackburn (Image credit: Getty Images)
Rising with Rovers
Aged just 20, the Blackburn-born boy came through the youth ranks with Rovers and was still with the Lancashire club until midway through this season.
Wharton signed his first professional contract in February 2022 and made his senior debut six months later, at the start of the 2022/23 season. That September Rovers tied him down to a five-year deal.
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He was named man of the match on his first start for Blackburn, a 1-0 win over Blackpool in August 2022, and a couple of months later bagged his first professional goal with a match-winning strike against Birmingham.
Wharton ended last season with 22 first-team appearances to his name across the Championship and League Cup, and his starting spot was nailed down by the start of this term.
He missed just two games out of 28 for Blackburn in the first half of the season and performed so well in a variety of central midfield roles that Palace swooped in January.
Southgate likes what he has seen from Wharton (Image credit: Getty Images)
Instant impact in south London
Wharton joined the Eagles in an £18m deadline day deal in February and made an instant impact.
The youngster featured in every Premier League game, settling in surprisingly quickly to help Oliver Glasner’s side finish the season in sparkling form.
Since a dodgy debut off the bench where he was at fault for a goal in a 4-1 defeat to Brighton, Wharton has been unawed by the step up to the top flight and ended the campaign with 16 Premier League appearances and three assists to his name.
Wharton was named among The Guardian’s signings of the season, praising his “passing, movement and positioning.”
His boss Glasner has been blown away by the midfielder’s rapid adaptation. “He has stepped up so quick. His decision-making, his pre-orientation, his solutions with one or two touches are amazing,” said the Austrian.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Germany calling with Bayern lurking
After only making his England U21 debut in March, Tuesday’s call from Southgate marked his first at senior level for the Three Lions for a player rapidly climbing through the ranks.
"I’m never really satisfied with my performances. Even if I have a good game, I always remember the things I could have done better. That’s just how I’ve always looked at games,” Wharton said earlier this month.
"You’re never perfect and I want to try to be perfect but I’m still only young [and] got a lot to work on."
Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.
