Adam Wharton turns 22: Self-analysis, European football & targets for 2026

As incisive in his insight as he is in his progressive passing, the midfielder is often hailed as a rare breed of English midfielder. But his evolution into one of the Premier League’s most consistent performers has hailed from a wide range of influences, all of which stand him in good stead for a huge 2026 ahead for both club and, all being well, country…

This interview was initially published in the Crystal Palace v Fulham programme in January 2026 - you can buy issues of the matchday programme by clicking HERE.

Un the great pantheon of footballing clichés, the term ‘football intelligence’ has become increasingly widespread.

You can understand why. When the Premier League is more competitive than ever before – even now, a month after this feature was first written, there are still just seven points between the Champions League places and the bottom half – any small advantage could hold the difference between a vital, season-defining victory or a difficult, downtrodden defeat.

It is safe to assert that Adam Wharton, in his now-two years as a Premier League player, has established himself as one of the division’s standout midfielders. His numbers are incredibly impressive – but, more importantly, so too is his ability to assert himself on any contest, which instinctively must derive from a deeper understanding of the game.

Is that from rewatching his performances, seeking those minor improvements? “I’m not like ‘I have to watch them’, but I think it’s good to,” he explains.

“That way, you can see a lot more than what you see on the pitch at the time. Everything’s a lot clearer – and then, you can use it for future reference.

"When I was at Blackburn, coming through the academy, you had to do that analysis as part of your scholarship. For every game, you had to create clips and then send them to the manager, just to show them your understanding of the game, and obviously to try and help you develop.

“That probably helped me a lot – and over time, it just became a habit for me, I guess.”

Little coincidence, then, that Wharton is often his teammates’ choice for ‘Analyst’ in our ‘staff selection’ section of the matchday programme.

“They probably say that because in the analysis sessions, I answer quite a few of the questions,” he laughs. “It makes sense to put me in there.”

Footballing statistics are everywhere in these halcyon days for the fan of the footballing acronym. But in an age of occasional over-information, how does Wharton ensure he takes on board the right information?

'Pre-orientation' is one of his sharpest skills during matches – but outside of them, how does he like to receive the messages that help him sharpen his footballing brain? Is it better to be coached in an analysis session, or out on the training pitch?

“I think a bit of both,” he reasons. “It’s good to get feedback on the pitch, because then when you start playing again, you can try it straight away.

“But it’s also good if you’re watching back a video and the Manager says something, because you can see proof of it right in front of you. It becomes clear straight away that whatever he’s trying to say to you, it can happen, and he can prove it to you.

“A little mix of a bit of everything is good. If you’re always getting information on the pitch, you might then try it, it might not come off, and then you might not believe it for yourself. But if you see it on the video too, then you can see it works.

“The Manager just gives us little bits here and there. In training sessions, after a passage of play, he might go up to you and speak to you after spotting little adjustments, maybe being five yards this way, five yards that way, or your body shape… just little things like that.

“Then, you just keep adding them to your game, it builds up, and you become better over time. It’s all about little things here and there.”

The contrast of a marginal, more academic approach with the fast-paced nature of today’s game – just take a look at the fixture schedule for Palace around winter, and indeed in February – is an interesting one.

But it a methodology true to Wharton’s character: an intelligent, critical thinker who, as a schoolboy, got 10 GCSEs, including A-star grades in maths and computer science.

Indeed, his coach at Moorland School, Charlie Jackson, recently told reporters: “Adam is something special. He really is going to be world-class. He has bags of God-given talent, but he’s a bright man too – excellent at maths and science, but great to be around. He is the definition of a role model.”

How’s that for a glowing report card? “I have no idea!” he laughs.

"Moorland had a partnership with Blackburn and gave us extra football lessons. I think I was quite smart generally in school… but I didn’t enjoy it!

“But I guess that sort of helped me understand football. And then, obviously growing up with two older brothers playing football…

"I think it was all just an accumulation of football, football, football.”

The ability to analyse, partition and break things down is the core requirement of science, maths and analysis. But in the moments where his brain needs to slow down after a game, the challenge is the opposite: to switch off.

Those following him on social media will know his talent for video clipping often comes to the fore – but in his downtime, Wharton generally takes things slow.

He explains: “I just like to relax, maybe go for some food, go to cinema every now and then… I like just watching a movie at home, just to chill.”

Any recent recommendations? “I’ve not been able to go too much recently - I’ve been quite busy,” he points out – a fair reference to the aforementioned fixture calendar.

“But there was one which was alright… it was with Leonardo DiCaprio… One Battle After Another!” Again: a fair descriptor of the aforementioned fixture calendar? “And I think the new Avatar has come out, so I’ll be seeing that soon...”

There has never been a more varied time to be a Crystal Palace player: frequent Wembley visits, trophy celebrations and competitive European fixtures are not exactly littered throughout the club’s broader history.

But Wharton is taking all of these new challenges in his stride – and, crucially, harnessing them as further opportunities to improve.

“In Europe, I’ve found you’re playing a completely different way of football,” he explains. “In the Premier League, the games are very tough. We have a lot less possession than in Europe.

“But in the Conference League, you’ve got teams who will just sit back the whole game and try and be compact and difficult, which is what we sometimes do in the Premier League against the so-called ‘bigger teams.’

“In Europe, we’re finding we have more possession, so it’s about us breaking them down. You’ve got some teams who are very physical and kicking it long and trying to make it a tough battle.

“It’s just a mix of all different types of football, whereas the Premier League is more football-based in terms of on the ball. You’ve obviously still got to have possession, but every team has technical players all over the pitch who can deal with the ball comfortably, whereas in Europe you’ve got a bit of a mix of everything.

“Of course, sometimes you’re tired, or you’re playing on different pitches. You might not think that makes a difference, but it does.

“For us, it’s just about adapting and playing a different style of football. It’s good for us to have these matches to see where we are compared to where we want to be."

How potent is Palace’s usual style of play, then, in continental competition? “I think we can use our strengths as a weapon because the intensity is so high in the Premier League.

“If we can keep that intensity up, I think some European teams – maybe where their leagues aren’t as intense – will struggle if they’re not used to it. At the same time, sometimes the teams we’ll come up against will work against that intensity.

“Every team is different. If you’ve got a plan to play against them, and if we’re on it, we know we can beat any team. It’s just about maintaining the level when we’re playing every three days.”

There-in lies possibly the biggest change at Palace this season – the increased physical, but also mental, demands, of fighting on multiple fronts.

But at the same time, when speaking to a young player as cerebral as Wharton, and having seen for ourselves the Eagles’ propensity for bouncing back from difficult moments in matches – who would have foreseen an FA Cup victory and record Premier League points total coming, given our winless start to last season? – you can simply never rule this group out.

“We know how good of a team we are when we’re playing at our best,” Wharton says. “If we go one goal down, we’ve still got the belief that we’re going to create the chances, and we’re going to create the moments to score a goal.

“I think the Manager also instilled in us that we always keep going until the end. You saw that against Liverpool at the start of the season where, after they equalised late on, we went on and got the winner – and we’ve done it a few times this season.

“You’re never going to be in a position where you’re always winning matches. There’s going to be a time when you’re down.

“In that moment, it’s just about keeping your head up and keeping on playing the same way. We’ll get that chance.”

Despite recent difficult form, Wharton recognises that brighter days are to follow in 2026. Any targets for the year – or perhaps World Cup goals? “I’m just taking it all as it comes.

“We want to get as far in Europe and as high up as we can in the Premier League – those are the big goals. We want to try and win as many matches as possible – we’ve had the feeling of winning trophies a couple of times now, and we want to keep having it.

“But I’m not really thinking about the World Cup. It’s a long way away. We’ve got a lot of games before that – I know I just need to play well, and if I do, I’ll get the opportunity to go.”

Sound, sage – ‘footballing intelligent’ – words. But then, from Adam Wharton, would you expect anything else?