Liverpool Eyes Adam Wharton in Squad Overhaul

Liverpool’s rebuild under Andoni Iraola is beginning to take shape, and the next piece of the puzzle could come from south London.

According to GIVEMESPORT’s Ben Jacobs, the club “really appreciate” Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton and are weighing up a summer move for the 20-year-old, who has rapidly become one of the Premier League’s most admired young midfielders.

Iraola’s New Era Demands a New Core

Liverpool have wasted no time in turning the page. Arne Slot’s sacking, unexpected in its timing after a title-winning debut season, was followed quickly by Iraola’s appointment. Now the focus is ruthless: reshape a squad that sagged badly in their title defence.

The drop-off was stark. A defence that once suffocated opponents conceded a club-record number of goals in a Premier League campaign. The attack lost its edge. The spine that carried Liverpool to glory suddenly looked frayed.

Then came the exits. Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konaté – three pillars of the modern Liverpool era – have gone, leaving more than just gaps on the teamsheet. They take with them leadership, experience, and a defined identity. The recruitment drive now has to answer all three losses at once.

Midfield Under the Microscope

Most of the noise around Liverpool’s summer has centred on wide forwards and centre-backs, but the middle of the pitch is again under scrutiny.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister struggled to reproduce their previous levels across the 2025-26 season, leaving Dominik Szoboszlai as the undisputed mainstay in central areas. Too often, he carried the creative and physical burden on his own.

That is where Wharton enters the conversation.

Jacobs, speaking on talkSPORT, urged listeners to pay attention to that department: “Keep an eye on central midfield. Adam Wharton is a player really appreciated by Liverpool.”

Wharton has three years left on his deal at Selhurst Park, where Oliver Glasner has turned Palace into one of the league’s most awkward, upwardly mobile sides. Europa League football is coming to south London next season, yet the midfielder’s future is already a talking point.

Glasner recently called him “one of the best midfielders in the world” – a bold claim, but one that underlines the scale of the talent Liverpool are circling. Wharton’s omission from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad only sharpened the sense that a bigger stage, and a bigger club, may not be far away.

Salah’s Shadow and the Search for Firepower

While Wharton would address the need for fresh legs and sharper control in midfield, Liverpool’s most glaring hole remains out wide.

Salah’s departure leaves a chasm. Goals, assists, and a constant threat from the right flank have defined Liverpool for years. Without him, the squad looks thin in wide areas, especially with 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha still feeling his way into senior football.

The club have already moved aggressively in the market before. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak arrived last summer as £100m-plus statements, proof that Liverpool’s ownership will spend big when they believe the right player is available.

That trend looks set to continue.

RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande has been identified as the preferred heir to Salah. At 19, he is already being treated like a future superstar. Some reports suggest personal terms are in place, but Leipzig are refusing to budge on a valuation north of £100m. Liverpool know this is the going rate now for elite attacking talent. They also know they cannot afford to get this one wrong.

The shortlist does not end there. Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League winner Bradley Barcola and Bournemouth winger Rayan are also on the radar, both carrying nine-figure price tags of their own. Each would demand a huge financial commitment. Each would reshape the forward line.

Big Money, Big Decisions

Liverpool’s recruitment team now stand at a crossroads. They can continue to fire at the top end of the market, building a new core around blockbuster signings, or they can blend those deals with smarter, targeted moves like Wharton, who offers both immediate quality and long-term upside.

What is clear is that Iraola will not inherit a static squad. The club hierarchy have already shown they are prepared to be ruthless with big names and bold with big fees.

If Liverpool push ahead for Wharton, they will be testing Crystal Palace’s resolve and the player’s own ambition, with Europa League nights at Selhurst Park set against the lure of Anfield and a central role in a new project.

The question now is not whether Liverpool will spend. It is which players they choose to build this new era around – and how quickly those decisions can haul them back to the top.