Wharton on evolving with Palace & areas for improvement
Now well into his third year as a Crystal Palace player – having arrived from Blackburn Rovers in January 2024 – Adam Wharton was recently quizzed on the journey he has undertaken as a Premier League, and now established international, midfielder.
The 22-year-old – who on Thursday won the Premier League’s Creative Moment of the Month award for his recent through-ball against Tottenham Hotspur – was speaking to talkSPORT whilst on England duty.
The midfielder returned to Palace after picking up a minor knock during 45 minutes’ action against Uruguay at Wembley last week, but – discussing his hopes of featuring for the Three Lions at this summer’s World Cup finals, ahead of that game – reflected on his first four caps for his country at senior level.
“It's obviously a really good feeling,” Wharton said. “I think it's always positive to be selected and to be able to come here and train with all the other lads and the staff.
“It’s a bit different [being part of a 35-man selection], but it obviously gives a chance for a lot more players to try and impress and make a point on why they should go in the summer.
“He [Thomas Tuchel] gives everyone positions, and he's said I'm in this sort of No. 6 position – so here now you've got Jordan Henderson and then Elliot Anderson [in competition]. That was what it was in the last camp as well.
“Obviously I want to play as much as I can and try and help the team. But at the same time, Jordan and Elliot are top players, playing well this season, so it's not going to be easy. And like I said, football is a game of opinions. I’m sure whoever the manager chooses is going to do a great job and will give everything to help the team.
“It’s every young boy's dream to be able to go to a World Cup to represent their country. I'm going to try and impress as much as I can, and try and play as well as I can up until the players get on that plane – hopefully I'm one of them.
“There’re still a few games to play before then, so a lot can happen, but hopefully I can do well enough and show that I'm worthy of a ticket on the plane. There are a lot of top players, so I'm sure whoever gets those tickets will be worthy of them and definitely deserve to represent the country. I'm sure they'll do the country proud.”
While he still awaits his first goal in red and blue, Wharton is enjoying his most productive season for Palace to date, leading the club’s assist charts with seven in all competitions – including the aforementioned pair at Spurs.
The midfielder continues to win plaudits far and wide in the media, but Wharton – typically humble – is choosing to remain grounded, stating: “It's hard not to [see compliments from the media].
"I think when you sort of see them everywhere nowadays on social media, everything gets thrown about a lot – friends send it to you, family send it to you. Sometimes it's hard to not see them!
“But no, I try and just sort of don't get too ahead of myself with the positive, and on't get too down with the negative. I try and just stay sort of level-headed, keep my feet on the ground, and just focus on myself and how I can improve.
“You know, if you think you're on top of the world, then there's a long way to fall. I just sort of listen to what the coaches say, what the staff say, because they've got my best interests at heart and they want me to improve and help them as much as possible as well.”
It's about trying to just communicate more
—Adam Wharton
This summer will mark two years since Wharton’s England debut against Bosnia in June 2024, and his subsequent selection for the 2024 European Championships, where he helped the Three Lions all the way to the final.
The young midfielder has continued to improve at club level during that time, helping Palace to a historic first-ever pair of trophies and into Europe for the first time.
Looking back, Wharton reflected: “I think a lot's changed since then. But, yeah, I think I just have more of an understanding of the game, trying to become a bit more vocal on the pitch, especially at Palace.
“Being in the midfield, you have to speak a lot more. You have to speak with the defenders, then you've got the wide players and the strikers. You’ve got to speak a bit to everyone. It's about trying to just communicate more, because then it helps the team if everyone knows what they're doing.
“And then on the ball, off the ball, there a lot of different things that have changed, but I’m just trying to work on it all, really.
“With the gaffer at Palace, I’m just trying to take as much as I can from him. With the way we play, and then Europe's been different this year, so it's been a lot more on-the-ball for us, trying to keep the ball moving quick, and trying to break down [teams] a little bit, which we haven't really done a lot in the Premier League, because teams are more aggressive against us.”
“I don't think you could have written that script back then [in 2024]. It's been a very special journey – lots of ups and downs, lots of different paths taken that I probably would never have thought would happen. But I'm glad with how everything's gone.
“I'm just happy that I'm able to play football and express myself, and try and have a benefit on any team that I play with.”