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Liverpool was not shy of flexing its financial might this summer. But while the attack got a multitude of shiny new toys, some have suggested that the big play should have been for Adam Wharton.
Of course, the reality is nowhere near as simple. Liverpool's one big transfer setback came at the hands of Crystal Palace, who held on to Marc Guehi despite his dwindling contract — there's no guarantee at all that Wharton, contracted until 2028, could have been extracted from Selhurst Park.
But it would be madness if Liverpool did not maintain an interest. Even with Ryan Gravenberch coming into his own last season, Arne Slot still misses someone who can effortlessly advance the ball out of the defensive third under pressure, especially in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Right now, the frustration is that the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak are not getting consistent service from the back. The build-up is all too pedestrian, wasting the good positions and pockets of space the pair of new additions continue to find.
I watched Crystal Palace's recent game with Everton, and even in defeat, Wharton stood out by a mile for his ability to fix that exact issue. Jack Grealish was among those to agree, hailing the England international as the best player on the pitch.
He wouldn't be a magic fix for Liverpool's openness out of possession, and it's questionable whether he would get away with five fouls before being booked if he were in a red jersey, as he did at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. But on the ball, there is a sense that he could truly knit everything together.
By next summer, 2028 will not look so far away. Seemingly at risk of losing Guehi for nothing, in spite of Steve Parish's reluctance to do so, the ownership will surely not want to let Wharton run things close.
If nothing else, it would be worth Liverpool asking the question. And according to the Daily Mail, Crystal Palace believes it will do exactly that, as it braces itself for interest from both Slot's side and Real Madrid.
Tottenham also made an approach at the end of last season, while Chelsea and Manchester City have monitored the 21-year-old as well. With that in mind, Palace has hatched a plan.
Talks over a new contract for Wharton are expected in due course. And in news which will interest Liverpool, a release clause will be part of the discussion.
Guehi is very much the exception for Palace, with most of its star players leaving after a handful of years of service to join clubs who activate such clauses. Eberechi Eze left for Arsenal in this manner over the summer, while Bayern extracted Michael Olise via such a mechanism in 2024.
Wharton remains "pivotal" to Crystal Palace's planning, with sporting director Matt Hobbs under pressure to service Oliver Glasner with a competitive squad. But the manager's own contract is up next summer, so we'll have to see what kind of knock-on effect that has.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace is exploring the signing of Kees Smit, a 19-year-old midfielder from AZ Alkmaar. It would heavily refute any suggestion of succession planning, but it's further interesting context to consider.
The bottom line is that one way or another, Wharton will probably be on the market within the next couple of years, even if Crystal Palace agrees a new contract with him. Liverpool might have to maintain a watching brief for a while yet, but the England midfielder is a target that makes a huge deal of sense.
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