Blackburn Rovers may have Crystal Palace regret after Gareth Southgate, England reveal: View | OneFootball

When Adam Wharton dropped into a pocket of space and rolled the ball forward to Michael Olise, splitting the Aston Villa midfield this weekend, Crystal Palace were one step closer to rounding off their Premier League season with a win.

By bisecting John Mcginn and Callum Chambers with a first-time pass, Wharton afforded his skillful French teammate the time to show his quality. Olise exploded into the open room, then weighted a pass through the opposition defence for Jean-Phillipe Mateta to sweep home coolly.

In this move, during his time with Crystal Palace this term, and throughout his senior career, Wharton has been unassuming but effective. From Dunga to Dechamps, every team packed with superstar forwards and entertaining attacking players needs a water-carrier.

While comparing Wharton and his teammates to World Cup winners feels remiss, under Oliver Glasner, the Eagles have blitzed their Premier League opponents, and there is a palpable excitement surrounding Selhurst Park.

Before their new midfield metronome arrived in January, even with a fully fit squad, Crystal Palace looked top-heavy. Dynamic attacking partners Eberechi Eze and Olise will be viewed as the club’s headline act for as long as the pair remain at Palace, but in Wharton, the side have a star support that looks set to pull the strings for years to come.

Playing for the Croydon club, the midfielder has flourished in the Premier League. It has taken Wharton no time at all to adjust to the top-flight tempo, and he has caught the eye by defending resolutely and orchestrating the team's attacking play from deep.

An accurate progressive passer with the composure to receive the ball in tight situations, Wharton has been noticed by England boss Gareth Southgate.

The 20-year-old has timed his breakthrough into the national fold perfectly. This week, he was named in England’s 33-man provisional squad for the upcoming European Championships and completed the quartet of Palace players in contention for a spot on the plane to the tournament this June.

Off the back of his recent impressive performances, Wharton is far from a surprise inclusion, but the speed of his rise from the EFL to the England first team is staggering.

Less than four months ago, the youngster was plying his trade for Blackburn Rovers in the Championship. Having graduated from the Lancashire side’s academy, the player will be a figure of inspiration in the North-West for years to come.

But now that Wharton has been called up by Southgate, Blackburn may feel that they undervalued their youth product and could regret not asking Crystal Palace for a larger fee.

Adam Wharton is the missing piece of the puzzle for England

For a while now, there has been a Wharton-shaped hole at the heart of England’s midfield. With the hard-working ball-winner at his disposal, Southgate no longer has to plug the gap with players unaccustomed to the deep-lying role.

When the youngster was signed by Crystal Palace in a deal worth up to £22 million including add-ons, there was no concern that the player lacked the maturity to make the step up from the second tier.

Wharton had already come of age for Blackburn. He displayed a level of steadfastness and confidence that belied his age and senior experience in each of his 51 first-team appearances for Rovers.

Being fast-tracked up the football pyramid has not affected the midfield revelation yet. Wharton has untapped potential, and it would be foolish to create a ceiling for one of the country’s rising stars by discounting him due to a lack of international appearances.

In 2022, when England lined up against France before the team’s World Cup quarter-final match, eight of the starters had previously played in the EFL.

The pathway from the lower reaches of the Football League to the national team has never been more visible, and this tried and tested route to the top should inspire confidence in Wharton, who will be well-placed to integrate into the international team seamlessly.

Throughout his short senior career, Blackburn, Crystal Palace, and now England have been disposed to give the proactive, hard-working midfield anchor a chance.

When called upon, he has grasped every opportunity with both hands and repaid the trust in his ability. At various stages en route to this national call-up, the door could have been shut in the player's face, stunting his progression and development.

While Palace and England, hopefully, will continue to reap the rewards of a long-term investment. Blackburn deserve credit for giving Wharton his debut at just 18.

But now that he has moved on, the onus lies at the door of Southgate, who will decide when he takes that all-important next step.

Blackburn could regret Wharton's asking price

If Wharton takes to the field in Gelsenkirchen to play in England’s European Championship opener against Serbia this June, almost everyone attached to Blackburn football club will be rightly ecstatic.

But in the boardroom, key members of the Rovers' hierarchy may feel less positive about his prospective international appearance.

To the owners, the Venkys, Wharton’s inclusion in the national squad might underline that the club parted ways with their top talent cheaply.

That said, the former Blackburn Young Player of the Year did represent a significant outlay for Crystal Palace. At his £22 million cost, Wharton joined the Premier League team as the second-tier's seventh-most expensive sale.

Even after the midfielder's call-up, it is still hard to say that he was a bargain buy. If Blackburn had the opportunity to value and sell him again, they may look to move Wharton on for an increased figure in the region of £30 million.

While the Lancashire outfit would have been able to justify an increase, at the time, the midfielder's transfer felt far from a deal.

Purchasing Wharton was a gamble for Crystal Palace, but their tough-tackling number 20 has more than justified his worth already.

Before he swapped Lancashire for London, the tenacious midfielder ranked in the top twelve Championship players in his position in tackles per game, and only 22 others had recorded more recoveries of possession. In the Premier League, Wharton has gone from strength to strength, and his metrics in both areas have improved despite the step-up in class.

At Blackburn, Wharton was hiding in plain sight. But his glaring talent, determination, and impressive statistics come at a cost. While the player always passed the eye test and displayed the attributes of a Premier League footballer, many teams would have been put off after hearing the asking price for the first time.

Top-flight clubs notoriously struggle to part with their cash when it comes to recruiting from the lower leagues and had Rovers set the bar higher, Palace may have been deterred.

As the 'Wilpshire Pirlo' continues to progress elsewhere, Blackburn will point to his rapid development as proof of their successful academy system. By valuing Wharton at a reasonable fee, attractive to Crystal Palace, they have allowed their top talent to graduate from the Championship class.

While Wharton has left behind his Ewood Park home in search of higher-level football, Rovers were well compensated for his departure and should not have too many regrets around his sale now that their former star is shining on the biggest stage.