Liverpool have to crack the nut that is threatening not only success this season but Arne Slot's position in the Anfield hot seat.
A confident Champions League campaign has served as respite for what has been a dreary domestic effort over recent months, but Liverpool cannot bank on winning Europe's elite competition to secure a route into next year's edition
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Sweeping summer changes have stymied a high-flying project, with the Premier League champions now preparing for a dogfight to secure a top-four (or top-five, the way co-efficient rankings are shaping up) finish. Slot's system has been really poor, and Liverpool have only won five of their past 18 top-flight encounters.
Much has been made of the imbalances in attack, of the defence shorn of depth, but there's a case to be made that Liverpool's midfield have been just as ineffective, and it's an area FSG plan to fix at the end of the season.
Why Liverpool want to sign a midfielder
At number six, Ryan Gravenberch has been 'found out'. That's probably unfair on the Dutchman, but there's no question he hasn't been as indomitable in his deep-lying berth, opponents having adapted to Liverpool's style under Slot's wing and negating his counter-pressing impact.
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch
With Alexis Mac Allister also a shadow of the player who starred as an all-encompassing midfield lieutenant, it's clear that an upgrade is needed to rekindle this title-winning team.
Sporting director Richard Hughes has a plan. According to Spanish reports, Liverpool are prepared to rival Real Madrid in the race to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, who is also coveted by Real Madrid.
The report notes that the Anfield side are prepared to go all out to secure his services and are readying a whopping €100m (£87m) offer.
England's Adam Wharton reacts
Los Blancos and Bayern Munich both have vested interests of their own, so Liverpool will want to pounce as quickly as possible for a player who could transform Slot's engine room.
Why Adam Wharton could be Liverpool's own Declan Rice
Wharton is only 22, but he has already achieved so much since leaving Blackburn Rovers and joining Crystal Palace. In 2025, he won the FA Cup and the Community Shield, the key cog in midfield for Oliver Glasner's side.
Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton during training
Indeed, Wharton's maestro-like passing and sureness when defending has seen him propelled into the ascendancy for Thomas Tuchel's England set-up too, seemingly the favourite to star alongside Declan Rice at the World Cup in North America later this year.
Rice has exploded into life as a box-to-box sensation at Arsenal, the linchpin in a Gunners midfield who look like they are going to have their best shot at the Premier League title yet.
It hasn't been Liverpool's year, but FSG plan to rekindle top ambitions over the coming years, and Wharton could prove to be the metronome at the heart of Slot's system to make it all tick.
Wharton is an elite passer. Indeed, analyst Ben Mattinson has even gone as far as to label him a "cheat code" for his ability to carve defences open with surgical passes.
Now there's a player who has skillset to bypass those pesky low blocks that have kept Slot up at night. Wharton is a combative midfielder, but unlike Gravenberch, who currently holds down the fort at number six, he is far more creative, ranking among the top 10% of Premier League players for successful long balls (2.49) this season.
Adam Wharton vs Ryan Gravenberch (Premier League 25/26)
Stats (* per 90)
Matches (starts)
Goals + Assists
Touches*
Accurate passes*
Big chances created
Key passes*
Dribbles*
Ball recoveries*
Tackles + interceptions*
Duels (won)*
Data via Sofascore
If Liverpool can get a Three Lions superstar into their mix, someone worth paying the big bucks for, it could have a lasting impact on establishing a dynasty under Slot's wing.
This has been more than a rough patch for the former Feyenoord boss, but it's one he could overcome with a stable midfielder at the heart of his system, someone perfect to instil control and champion his tactical vision.
In this, Wharton could become a talisman at the centre of the Anfield pitch, someone who could rival Rice over the coming years while starring alongside him for his nation.
Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton reacts after the match
Wharton is only going to improve over the coming years, and with startling creative quality and a secure defensive base, he might just end up being Liverpool's own version of Rice, an English centrepiece to supercharge the midfield over the coming years.
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FSG are wrestling with a number of problems as Liverpool continue to flatter to deceive under Arne Slot.