Bookmakers make City favourites for Palace midfielder
The timing could hardly be worse. Less than a week after Rodri packed his bags for Barcelona, City find themselves linked with a 22-year-old England midfielder who, by all accounts, is not for sale.
That midfielder is Adam Wharton, and the bookmakers have taken note. City have been installed as favourites to sign the Crystal Palace man before the window shuts, with odds slashed to 7/2.
Reports emerged on Thursday that the Blues had enquired about Wharton. Palace, though, have made their position clear: he is going nowhere.
“He is not for sale and they have no intention of letting him go before the window closes.”
Wharton has been linked with a string of Premier League clubs this summer, Chelsea and Liverpool among them. Chelsea were previously the favourites to land him, but their odds have drifted out to 8/1 as City have jumped to the head of the queue.
The interest is understandable. Rodri's departure has left a hole in midfield that needs filling, and Wharton's numbers from last season make for pleasant reading. According to Fotmob, he averaged 0.18 assists, 0.26 xA, 1.55 chances created and 0.49 big chances created per 90 minutes in the top flight. Defensively, he chipped in with 2.46 tackles, 0.95 interceptions, 5.80 recoveries and 0.60 possessions won in the final third.
Palace, it should be noted, are not in the business of selling their best players on the cheap. The club have won three major trophies in recent years, a golden era that Wharton has been part of. They will not want to lose him now.
With less than two weeks of the window remaining, City's search for a Rodri replacement has taken on a familiar urgency. Whether Palace budge is another matter entirely.