Another Cole Palmer: Chelsea make £100m “machine” their dream target
There may still be a few areas of weakness, but overall, Chelsea have built one of the most impressive squads in the Premier League.
The likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Reece James and Marc Cucurella, for example, would surely get into practically any other side in the competition.
Moreover, youngsters like Estevao and Andrey Santos are only going to get better and better as the season progresses.
However, when it comes to Chelsea’s best player, it has to be Cole Palmer, and the good news for fans is that, if reports are to be believed, the club are now at another star in the making who could be Enzo Maresca’s next Palmer.
Chelsea target their next Palmer
Since joining Chelsea in the summer of 2023, Palmer has been a force of nature when fit.
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For example, in 105 appearances for the club, the Englishman has scored 46 goals and provided 29 assists. Moreover, he’s shown up in big games, including the Conference League and Club World Cup finals.
Therefore, it’s unsurprising to learn that the Blues are now in for another star in the making who could end up being a Palmer-like signing.
At least that is according to a recent report from Caught Offside, which claims Chelsea are still very interested in Adam Wharton.
In fact, the report goes a step further than that, revealing that, as things stand, the midfield monster is the club’s “dream” target.
A potential price for the Crystal Palace star is not mentioned in the report, but reports from earlier this year claimed that a fee of around £100m could be enough to tempt the Eagles into selling.
That’s undoubtedly a significant sum, but given Wharton’s ability and potential, it’s one Chelsea should pay, especially as he could be another Palmer-type signing.
Why Wharton would be another Palmer for Chelsea
It should almost go without saying that the comparison between Palmer and Wharton is not really down to their playstyle or position.
Sure, they’re both midfielders, but their roles and responsibilities for their respective sides are entirely different.
Yet even so, there are a few similarities between the pair and a few reasons Wharton could be a Palmer-like signing for Chelsea.
Firstly, like the former City gem, if this deal were to go through, it would be another example of the Blues signing one of the most exciting young English talents in the league.
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More crucially, though, it would be another instance of the club signing a youngster who has the ability to be truly game-changing, only this time from slightly deeper.
For example, on top of already amassing an impressive 117 senior club appearances and three senior England caps, the 21-year-old has some sensational underlying numbers to his name.
Hailed as a “passing machine” by journalist Henry Winter, according to FBref, he ranks very highly across a number of metrics. He notably sits in the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for expected assisted goals, the top 6% for goal-creating actions, the top 8% for through balls, the top 10 % for shot-creating actions and ball recoveries, the top 11% for key passes and more, all per 90.
Wharton’s Scout Report
Statistics
Per 90
Percentile
Exp. Assisted Goals
0.27
Top 1%
Goal-Creating Actions
0.52
Top 6%
Through Balls
0.52
Top 8%
Shot-Creating Actions
3.64
Top 10%
Ball Recoveries
5.96
Top 10%
Key Passes
1.80
Top 11%
Assists
0.19
Top 14%
Crosses
2.79
Top 19%
All Stats via FBref
Finally, like the West Londoners’ talisman, the Eagles’ star has already proven he can step up in big games, playing a pivotal role in last season’s FA Cup triumph.
Ultimately, while it would be a costly transfer to get over the line, Chelsea should go all out for Wharton, as he could be another Palmer-like addition to Maresca’s team.
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