Liverpool had one of the best midfields in the Premier League last season as they waltzed to the title, but what a team did last year has little bearing on a fresh season – and that has been proven in 2025/26 with the Reds well off the title pace.
Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister have regressed badly in the current campaign, and while Dominik Szoboszlai is better than ever with fellow former Bundesliga superstar Florian Wirtz crushing it in the No. 10 role, Liverpool continue to badly miss a deep lying midfielder and true tempo setter with vertical passing.
While Gravenberch did keep playing ticking last season as a quality No. 6/8, he has been unable to find those killer balls from deep or truly own the passing game for the Reds in 2025/26.
Adam Wharton can make Liverpool more vertical
Liverpool are missing that true deep lying playmaker who can help the rest of the team gel, but if there is a second coming of Thiago Alcantara for them, then it is none other than Crystal Palace stud Adam Wharton.
The 22 year old phenom will be one of the most in demand players on the summer 2026 transfer window with clubs as far reaching and elite as Real Madrid and Barcelona likely involved in the sweepstakes.
Wharton just provided two assists in another brilliant performance to help Crystal Palace seal a 3-1 win over relegation candidates Tottenham Hotspur, and he has been excellent all season long as a deep lying playmaker.
It will take Wharton some time before he is world class in the middle of the park, but even on an underwhelming Palace side, he has been a clear asset, and his ability to make vertical passes and get the whole team going is what Liverpool badly miss.
Having a player like Wharton at the base of the midfield next to Gravenberch who can launch passes forward to Hugo Ekitike and Wirtz is exactly the quality and caliber of player Liverpool need for the next 5-10 years in the Premier League.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.