Eyebrows were initially raised upon the completion of the Crystal Palace move to sign Adam Wharton, but he’s been impeccable.
The last signing of the Roy Hodgson era at Crystal Palace has turned out to be one of the best, with Adam Wharton already looking like an absolute coup.
Dougie Freedman did it again, cherry-picking the very best of the Championship and bringing them to the Premier League to great effect.
Oliver Glasner has gotten the best from Wharton as his end-of-season form has seen a first England call-up ever for Wharton ahead of this summer’s Euros.
But now it’s been reported the true reason £18m was spent on signing Wharton in January and it has something to do with his fellow talents Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze.
Why Crystal Palace needed Adam Wharton in January
It comes according to a report by the Mail Online the reason Wharton was signed in January, with Olise and Eze being a key factor.
The report explained, “One reason why they paid an initial £18 million to Blackburn for Wharton was because they had identified a deficiency in getting Eze and Olise on the ball enough in the right areas. Wharton’s range of passing was the key reason behind his move.”
Wharton’s passing has certainly caught the eye since he arrived at Selhurst Park and he actually managed to grab three assists in just 16 games while playing effectively in defensive midfield.
The 20-year-old has been immense since making his move and played a massive part in the success that Glasner’s team have achieved over the final weeks of the season with seven games unbeaten including six wins.
Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze will love playing with Wharton
Prior to Wharton’s arrival, Palace was quite disjointed and the two-star men were effectively a two-man team.
But since Wharton arrived, and more importantly Glasner, the team is just that, a team. This means the Eagles have several players who are impressive weekly and they aren’t solely reliant on Olise outscoring the opposition.
The balance in the team has been ideal and the thought of how good Palace could be after a summer with Glasner in charge is tantalising.
It hasn’t only been Wharton, but he’d definitely been a big part of the improvements we’ve seen all across the pitch in recent months. He absolutely justifies his fee.
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