Liverpool could still be rueing their failure to pluck Adam Wharton from Blackburn Rovers in January.
Wharton has gone on to be a revelation at Crystal Palace after joining the Eagles on deadline day. The 20-year-old is now away with England at Euro 2024.
Had things been different, perhaps Liverpool could have been the ones feeling the benefit of Wharton’s calming influence in the middle of the pitch.
Liverpool were linked with Wharton at the back end of 2023 as he impressed in the Championship. Just six months or so later, the £18m spent by Palace to bring the midfielder to the Premier League looks like an absolute steal.
However, Liverpool should not be too downhearted. Although Wharton looks perfect for them, the Reds actually have a midfielder coming through the academy who could be even better.
Tyler Morton can follow Adam Wharton example
There’s obviously no telling where Wharton will go from here. He has indeed been very good for Palace in the Premier League and deserved his England call-up, but it’s still early days for him.
Either way, it feels inevitable that one of Europe’s big boys will come calling for the former Blackburn player before too long.
What Wharton’s rise tells us above anything else is that there is huge talent in the Championship. Big clubs may be reticent about putting too much trust in second division players, but maybe that tide will now start to turn.
For Liverpool, they can put that to the test much sooner than most. The Reds have seen Tyler Morton excel in the Championship for two years in a row.
READ MORE: How Tyler Morton really feels about his Liverpool future amid interest from abroad
As the 21-year-old returns to Anfield once again this summer, it feels like a crucial few months for him. There is reportedly interest in Morton from across Europe.
Big sides like RB Leipzig are reportedly keen on paying up to £20m for the Liverpool academy graduate. That alone should be a marker of his quality.
And while supporters may be unsure about sticking a player from the Championship into their first-team squad, they should remember the example set by Wharton.
If Liverpool choose to sell Morton on, they could very quickly regret it. As England’s latest star has shown, impressive displays in the second division can very well translate into the first.
Tyler Morton in talks with RB Leipzig
Morton and Wharton actually played together while the Liverpool man was on-loan at Blackburn in 2022/23.
Both tenacious tacklers with a touch of silk on the ball, there are obvious similarities between the two.
Two years ago, Morton didn’t look ready to jump into the Liverpool first-team. But after honing his trade alongside Wharton and more recently at Hull, that is no longer the case.
As they weigh up whether or not to bring in a new defensive midfielder, Arne Slot and his coaching team simply have to run the rule over Morton first. To sell him without doing so could be a monumental error.
The pressure is already coming on Liverpool to take the money and run, though. As per reports on Wednesday, Morton is in talks with RB Leipzig over a move.
If that does eventually transpire into a permanent sale, then Liverpool will soon be regretting that they let both Morton and Wharton slip through their clutches. It doesn’t need to happen, it’s not too late.