Liverpool’s Interest in Adam Wharton Signals New Era Under Iraola
Liverpool’s new era under Andoni Iraola is already taking shape – and it may run straight through Selhurst Park.
According to GIVEMESPORT’s Ben Jacobs, the club have a growing interest in Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, a player described inside Anfield as “really appreciated” and firmly on the radar as Liverpool rebuild a bruised squad.
Iraola Backed After Slot Shock
The move comes at a volatile moment for the club. Arne Slot’s sacking, arriving not long after he had delivered a Premier League title in his first season, jolted the hierarchy into action. Iraola is in, the reset button has been hit, and Liverpool’s decision-makers are preparing to arm the Spaniard with serious backing in the market.
They need it.
Liverpool slumped badly this past campaign, conceding a club-record number of goals in a Premier League season and losing the edge that had defined Slot’s early tenure. On top of the performances, the dressing room has been stripped of three pillars: Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konaté have all departed, ripping out experience, personality and proven quality in one swoop.
The holes are obvious out wide after Salah’s exit. Seventeen-year-old Rio Ngumoha is an exciting talent, but still learning the rhythm of senior football. That is why Liverpool are already in talks with RB Leipzig over Yan Diomande, the 19‑year‑old earmarked as their preferred long-term successor on the right.
Diomande has reportedly agreed personal terms with Liverpool in some quarters, yet Leipzig are standing firm. Their valuation is north of £100m and they have shown no inclination to blink.
Midfield Under the Microscope
While the headlines will inevitably follow the Salah replacement, Liverpool’s gaze is not fixed solely on the frontline or the back line that leaked too many goals. The heart of the pitch is under review as well.
Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister both laboured through the 2025-26 season, struggling to hit the standards they had set in previous years. Dominik Szoboszlai remains a mainstay, one of the first names on the team sheet, but the balance around him has felt off. Liverpool want more control, more bite, more reliability.
That is where Wharton enters the conversation.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jacobs underlined the club’s interest: “Keep an eye on central midfield. Adam Wharton is a player really appreciated by Liverpool.” It was a short line, but a telling one. Liverpool do not tend to “appreciate” players in public unless the scouting work has been extensive and the fit clear.
Wharton, still only in his early twenties, has three years left on his Palace contract. Selhurst Park will stage Europa League football next season, a reward for the club’s impressive progress under Oliver Glasner. Yet the midfielder’s future is already a talking point, not least after he was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
Glasner has not hidden what he thinks of his player, recently calling Wharton “one of the best midfielders in the world.” That kind of praise, from a coach who has worked at the sharp end of European football, has not gone unnoticed at the top of the Premier League.
Palace will know exactly what they have on their hands – and they will price him accordingly.
Big Fees, Big Expectations
Liverpool are no strangers to nine-figure deals now. Last summer they pushed the boat out for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, both passing the £100m mark as the club tried to refresh the attack with elite-level talent.
The strategy is not softening.
If Leipzig get their way, Diomande will command a fee well in excess of £100m. Liverpool have also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League winner Bradley Barcola and Bournemouth winger Rayan, both valued by their clubs at more than £100m.
It paints a clear picture: Iraola’s Liverpool will not be rebuilt on the cheap. The club are prepared to spend heavily again to restore the depth and dynamism that deserted them.
Wharton would be a different type of signing to the explosive wide forwards being chased, but no less significant. He offers structure, progression and intelligence in possession – the kind of midfield profile that can quietly transform a side’s rhythm.
Palace, Europa League and a long contract give them leverage. Liverpool, wounded by a poor season and stripped of key leaders, have urgency. Somewhere between those two realities lies the question that will define this pursuit: how much are Liverpool willing to pay to put a new engine in the middle of Iraola’s team?
