Tottenham continue pursuit of prime target Adam Wharton.
Adam Wharton has become one of the more eye-catching names still attached to Tottenham this summer, with Crystal Palace understood to have set a price of around £100m to ward off suitors rather than genuinely expecting to receive it. Spurs, however, are reportedly willing to consider paying close to that figure regardless, viewing Wharton as a long-term anchor for the midfield rather than simply another squad addition. That is as per The Express.
The scale of the number says plenty about how highly Palace and the wider market now rate him. Wharton has quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after deep-lying playmakers in Europe since establishing himself at Selhurst Park, and Tottenham are far from alone in circling him.
Manchester United have reportedly identified him as an option to rebuild their own midfield. Real Madrid and Liverpool have both seen themselves credited with interest at various points this summer, with Liverpool previously said to be ready to match Palace’s asking price rather than risk losing out to a rival. That level of competition tends to push fees further north rather than settle them, and Palace know it.
Substance in the move?
Where this gets genuinely interesting for Tottenham is in the context of what they have already spent. Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have already arrived this summer, taking the outlay on defence and midfield alone well past £200m.
Add Wharton at anywhere near £100m and Spurs would have a midfield of Tonali, Fernandes, Xavi Simons, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Archie Gray, before Wharton even sees himself mentioned. That eventually raises the obvious question of where exactly he is supposed to play and who makes way for him.
Wharton would improve almost any midfield in world football, and there is no doubting his quality. But Tottenham have already spent a fortune reshaping this exact area of the pitch, and piling another £100m signing on top of players like Bergvall and Sarr, both already fighting for minutes and both increasingly linked with exits themselves, starts to look like an overkill.
De Zerbi will have to be honest with himself about whether Wharton actually solves a problem Tottenham still have, or whether this is simply too good a player to pass up regardless of the fit OR the fee.
