Troy Deeney is unsure whether Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton is ready to make the step up to Champions League football.
Wharton’s ambitions to play in Europe’s elite club competition were predicted by Palace co-owner Steve Parish during an exclusive appearance on talkSPORT’s Sunday Edition.
In the interview, the Eagles chairman claimed Wharton would, ‘at some point’, want to compete in the Champions League either with Palace or ‘probably with another club’.
However, Deeney pointed out Wharton must prove himself in two key areas before he can dream of nights on the biggest stage in Europe.
The Watford hero also questioned whether Wharton has the abilities to live up to the transfer figures that have been quoted for him, which range from £60million to £80m.
“I see a lot of talk at the moment about going to Champions League places and wanting to play at a higher level,” Deeney said on talkSPORT’s Hawksbee and Jacobs.
“I haven’t seen that consistently enough yet, both with fitness and staying available.
“Then secondly, what’s he going to cost to go to these other teams? Probably, £70-80million? What’s the expectation for that?
“For £70-80million, I’d expect someone who is neat and tidy but also the athleticism to break away from players. He doesn’t really have that.
“But he is a fantastic footballer, so I don’t want to come across negatively at all. Would he go in to Manchester United now for example, and we go, ‘Oh, that puts them in the Champions League places?'”
Although Deeney may not believe Wharton is ready to compete in the Champions League just yet, he felt the midfielder was hard done by not to have made the England squad for the October international break.
Instead, the likes of Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson and AC Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek were drafted into the Three Lions set-up ahead of Wharton.
Wharton has become a vital member of Palace’s team and one of the best Premier League midfieldersFollowing the snub, Wharton revealed Tuchel got in touch to explain his reasoning why he wouldn’t be involved in the October fixtures.
According to Wharton, Tuchel claimed the Palace star was ‘playing well’ and deserved a spot, but ultimately the England boss wanted to stick with the same squad.
Yet Deeney pinpointed one incumbent England player in particular as someone who Wharton should be ahead of in Tuchel’s pecking order going forward.
“I think he’s a wonderful player for Palace and he offers a lot,” Deeney said.
“I’m not sold on him 100 per cent, if I’m being totally honest. I think he’s very good. I think he’s very neat and very tidy.
“He absolutely should be in the England squad because I think that 6 area is one we struggle with, minus Declan Rice. Elliot Anderson now has stepped up into that.
GettyWharton has ambitions to be on the plane to next year’s World Cup[/caption]“But if I was Adam Wharton, I’d be saying, ‘Jordan Henderson had his time, I want my time.’ So he can be frustrated with that.”
To date, Wharton has just one appearance for the Three Lions.
The Blackburn native came off the bench midway through the second half of a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in June 2024, which England 3-0.
Despite not having much experience at senior level with England, Wharton made the cut for Sir Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad for Euro 2024.
However, the 21-year-old was an unused substitute for the entire tournament as England made it all the way to the final, only to lose to Spain.
Hence then, the article about not sold on him adam wharton s champions league credentials questioned was published today ( ) and is available on talksport ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘Not sold on him’ – Adam Wharton’s Champions League credentials questioned )
Also on site :
- Bills vs Falcons Odds, TD Scorers, and More for Monday Night
- Browning set for Mexico GP FP1 outing with Williams
- IPL rumours: LSG could leave Akash Deep & Mayank Yadav, DC uncertain about Mitchell Starc