Crystal Palace have had the rug pulled from under their feet, with title-winning manager Oliver Glasner declaring midway through the January transfer window that he would leave at the end of his contract this summer.
A familiar theme in recent weeks has been Palace’s lack of intensity and purpose in their performances. Some fans are beginning to question whether chairman Steve Parish made the correct call in keeping the faith with the Australian after his declaration.
While the club record was broken toward the end of the window to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen for £48m, the Eagles anticipate further departures after Eberechi Eze was sold to Arsenal for £67m last summer.
It’s an opinion widely held that Adam Wharton could be the next big-money man to leave.
The latest on Adam Wharton’s Palace future
Wharton, 22, has emerged as one of English football’s hottest prospects in recent years, described by pundit Shay Given as being “one of the most gifted midfielders in the Premier League“.
He’s certainly played his part for Glasner, instrumental in developing the Austrian’s progressive style of football through sweeping passing and combative involvement off the ball.
Silky and stylish, Wharton is the real deal; small wonder he’s being chased by some of Europe’s most impressive outfits.
Reports in 2026 have revealed interest from Liverpool and Manchester United in the Premier League, with Real Madrid known admirers too.
Crystal Palace have set Wharton with an £82m price tag, meaning he would leave Selhurst Park as the club’s record sale. Even more than Eze.
Even more than another former Palace superstar, too, though that player has since gone on to eclipse his former teammates and become one of the very best in world football.
Superstar is worth millions more after leaving
Since leaving Crystal Palace for £50m in 2024, Michael Olise has only gone from strength to strength. The France international has become a talismanic force for Bayern Munich, who are so dominant in the Bundesliga and among the favourites to lift the Champions League trophy in may.
A “world-class” forward, as was said by Palace reporter Sam Smith back in his Premier League days, Olise has scored 33 goals and provided 48 assists across 89 matches in Die Roten colours, forming a deadly, symbiotic partnership with centre-forward Harry Kane.
Eze led Palace to their FA Cup trophy last season, and Wharton pulled the strings. However, Olise is cut from finer cloth, with CIES Football Observatory’s data-crunching work revealing the Les Bleus star, 24, to have a market value of around £129m, marking him as a more valuable player than anyone in the Premier League, with Alexander Isak moving from Newcastle to Liverpool for £125m in 2025.
|
Most Goals + Assists in 2025/26 (all comps) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Apps |
G/A |
|
Harry Kane |
22 |
31 |
|
Michael Olise |
21 |
28 |
|
Erling Haaland |
26 |
28 |
|
Kylian Mbappe |
22 |
27 |
|
Luis Diaz |
21 |
26 |
|
Data via Transfermarkt |
||
In fact Kane is the only player across Europe’s top five leagues to have outperformed him in front of goal this season, across all competitions.
The right winger is a sensation, but then Palace fans already know that. Talent scout Jacek Kulig said the up-and-comer was “one of the best wide playmakers in Europe” back in 2024, and the Frenchman’s hard graft has ensured that is now a widely held opinion.
Wharton is touted for big things, and Eze fetched a staggering price last summer. However, Olise is a grade above them, one of the very best players in the world.
Of course, Wharton is only going to get better over the coming years, so while interest in his signature will be fierce this summer, the Eagles would do well to keep onto him for as long as possible.
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