Seemingly, in the eyes of most people, Liverpool has two main priorities in the transfer market this summer: left-back, to find an upgrade on Andy Robertson, and number nine, amid Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota's struggles.
But there is another area of the field that should be just as much of a concern, albeit for a different reason. Quite simply, Ryan Gravenberch has played far too much this season — more, in fact, than ever before.
It should be little surprise, then, that at various points, he has looked exhausted. The 22-year-old has only failed to start one out of 39 games across the Premier League and the Champions League under Arne Slot — the dead rubber in the Netherlands against PSV.
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Though Wataru Endo has proven useful at times and there can still be a role for the Japan captain at Liverpool — not least because he is happy with coming in sporadically and has shown no signs of impatience — an upgrade in that area is required. Slot clearly doesn't feel that he is suited enough to the role to even give Gravenberch the rarest of rests in games that matter.
Last summer, Liverpool attempted to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. Failing to secure the signature of the Spaniard has led to Gravenberch's emergence — but he cannot be the only solution.
But while there was no alternative to Zubimendi signed because of a limited pool of elite players to pick from, Liverpool has since played against one who would fit the bill — for the right price — this summer. In Adam Wharton, Crystal Palace has a real gem.
Unlike the fire-fighting Endo, Wharton is like Gravenberch: elegant in possession and calm under pressure. His passing range is exceptional and his technical ability is supreme, as he showed against Fulham in the FA Cup this weekend.
Wharton has plenty of suitors and it will probably help Crystal Palace's bid to keep hold of him for a little longer that he has spent most of this season sidelined with an injury. But if Liverpool was looking for a more stylistically similar option to rotate with Gravenberch — which it should be — he would be ideal.
Playing against Liverpool at Selhurst Park in October, Wharton spun away from a crowd of players several times when he was under pressure, and it was him who initiated the press and led Crystal Palace forward when it was chasing the game.
While he would not come cheap, Wharton has the perfect blend of youth (he is only 21) and experience (he has over 70 senior appearances under his belt to date and was at the European Championship last summer with England). Liverpool needs a player who can take the pressure off Gravenberch — and Wharton is one of the few suitable options around.
