Mikel Arteta during Arsenal's win over West Ham (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Arsenal expert Charles Watts says it would be no surprise if the Gunners had a genuine interest in the potential transfer of Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton.
The talented young England international has been superb since moving from Blackburn Rovers to Palace last January, quickly establishing himself as one of the top midfielders in the Premier League, and earning a place in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad.
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Wharton is on Arsenal’s radar at the moment, sources recently told CaughtOffside, so we discussed the stories with Watts and he provided us with his insight.
For now, it seems Arsenal’s interest in Wharton hasn’t been 100% confirmed, with Watts more sure about Manchester City keeping an eye on the 20-year-old.
On top of that, even if Arsenal do need a midfielder and Wharton would make sense as a target, it’s more likely that something would happen next summer rather than this January.
Adam Wharton in action for Crystal Palace last season
Adam Wharton in action for Crystal Palace last season (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Adam Wharton transfer to Arsenal would be no surprise, says Charles Watts
“There are going to be plenty of players linked with Arsenal as January edges ever closer. We’ve seen that in recent weeks, with Adam Wharton mentioned as a target,” Watts said.
“Wharton is a fine player and you could see the immediate impact he had on Crystal Palace when he first arrived from Blackburn last season.”
He added: “We know that Manchester City are keeping tabs on him and I’m sure there will be plenty of other top clubs monitoring his progress at Selhurst Park.
“With Thomas Partey and Jorginho coming to the end of their contracts, Arsenal will have to make some decisions soon about how they are going to freshen up their midfield options and it would be no surprise if Wharton was in their thinking.
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“But I can only reiterate what I’ve been told about January and that is that the likelihood when it comes to Arsenal is that it will be a reactive window, rather than a proactive one.
“I believe the plan is to wait until the summer to do anything significant, unless something happens that potentially forces their hand when it comes to the market.”