- Adam Wharton opens up on Crystal Palace spell
- The joys of winning the FA Cup
- His growth at Selhurst Park
During the international break, Adam Wharton sat down with talkSPORT and looked back on his career at Crystal Palace and his time with England across numerous breaks and tournaments.
With just eight Premier League fixtures to go, and as many in European competition as Palace can earn themselves, Wharton will be hoping he can do enough to impress England boss Thomas Tuchel enough to earn himself a seat on the plane to the USA, Mexico and Canada this summer.
The 22-year-old midfielder is currently enjoying his most successful season so far when it comes to output, leading Palace’s assist ranks with seven across all competitions. The Eagles remain the league’s biggest underperformers when it comes to converting their chances, and had they been slightly more clinical across the season, Wharton would likely be on even more assists than he is.
Whilst he is yet to find his first goal in red and blue, Wharton has evidently improved in the final third and has come extremely close to finding the back of the net, with numerous efforts striking the woodwork or drawing strong saves.
Dealing with Praise and Staying Grounded
Wharton’s consistency and ability have earned high praise from the media, and he admitted that “It’s not hard” to see the compliments his performances are earning.
“Friends send it to you, family send it to you. Sometimes it’s hard not to see them! But I try not to get too ahead of myself with the positive, and don’t get too down with the negative. I try and just stay level-headed, keep my feet on the ground, and just focus on myself and how I can improve.”
Wharton’s response to the praise he receives is unsurprisingly mature. He has always played with a level of consistency that resonates with that of older players. Good decision-making, rare errors, and consistent hard work:
“If you think you’re on top of the world, then there’s a long way to fall. I just 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.”
How Wharton has Found his Time in South London
It’s been three seasons since Wharton’s move from boyhood club Blackburn Rovers, and by the summer, it will have been two years since his Three Lions debut against Bosnia, which was followed by his first international tournament with England at Euro 2024.
In that time, Wharton of course played a key role in Palace lifting a historic first-ever trophy, which came with the additional reward of European football, and was followed by a second trophy lift ahead of the current campaign.
As his chat continued, he reflected on his time in SE25:
“I think a lot has changed (since I came in). 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.”
He added:
“Being in midfield, you have to speak a lot more. With the defenders, then you’ve got the wide players and the strikers. You’ve got to speak to everyone. Trying to just communicate more, because then it helps the team if everyone knows what they’re doing.”
Wharton’s improvement has been as consistent as his performances, and he’s developing into an excellent Premier League midfielder. The improvement in his development has coincided with Oliver Glasner’s reign at Selhurst Park, and Wharton reflected on his experience under the Austrian manager.
“With the gaffer, 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.”
Palace have certainly found their fixtures in the Conference League tricky in their maiden European campaign. The likes of AEK Larnaca, Zrinjski Mostar and KuPS Kuopio have been tricky tests for the Eagles, who have had to push hard to find breakthroughs and scoring opportunities.
With Fiorentina at home on Thursday, Palace fans will be hoping that the Italian side brings the game to Selhurst a little more than the fans have seen in Europe so far. Palace have always thrived against sides who are willing to commit bodies forward, and the low blocks they’ve faced so far have caused them issues.
Reminiscing on the club’s FA Cup triumph, Wharton smiled as he recalled the events at Wembley.
“I don’t think you could have written that script back then (in 2024). It’s been a very special journey – lot’s 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.”
Wharton has made 84 appearances since joining Palace, registering 12 assists. He played a crucial role in last season’s FA Cup win and could add another piece of silverware to the trophy cabinet by winning the Conference League.
