Everton could repeat Garner masterclass in January with “complete” £15m gem

In the past, Everton took huge risks by splashing big money on players to improve the first-team squad. The likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Yerry Mina and Yannick Bolasie spring to mind.

However, in recent seasons, the Toffees’ best transfers have been signed for relatively cheap, including several players in the current first-team squad like Jarrad Branthwaite, who was bought for merely £1m three years ago.

Ahead of the January transfer window, head coach Sean Dyche could bolster his midfield once more by signing a young, unproven prospect who is setting the world alight in the division below.

Everton transfer news – Adam Wharton

According to a report from TEAMtalk back in October, Everton are keeping tabs on Adam Wharton’s situation at Blackburn Rovers and are ‘preparing’ to make a bid for the 19-year-old over the coming weeks. The outlet claim that the Toffees are one of several clubs in the running to sign Wharton which could cause an exhausting pursuit for his signature.

The teenage sensation enjoyed his breakout season in the previous campaign under Rovers’ head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson, making 22 appearances in all competitions, although 12 of his 24 features in the Championship were from the bench.

Nevertheless, this time around, Wharton has become one of the first names on Tomasson’s teamsheets. The youngster has already made the same number of appearances as he did last season but has been in the starting lineup on 19 different occasions. His impressive displays in the middle of the park this campaign caught the eye of football scout Jacek Kulig who described him as a “quality and complete midfielder”.

It has been reported that Wharton could cost in excess of £15m to encourage Blackburn to sell up.

Adam Wharton’s stats this season

At the start of the 2022/23 campaign, the Merseysiders went out and spent £15m on a player with little-to-no experience in the Premier League, having had a tremendous season in the Championship. After struggling in his debut campaign in Merseyside, James Garner has now become an integral part of Dyche’s first-team squad.

The young Englishman has made 20 appearances for Everton this season and has been utilised in a number of different positions by Dyche, including as a holding midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder, a winger and even as a fullback on the right side.

Wharton and Garner are quite similar players. Incidentally, Wharton’s stats from this season are resemblant to Garner’s from his promotion-winning loan spell with Nottingham Forest two campaigns ago, which was what caused Everton to purchase him in the first place.

Additionally, Dyche may need to rearrange his midfield within the next six to twelve months. Amadou Onana is being linked with a huge move to Garner’s former club, Manchester United – and Barcelona. Meanwhile, Idrissa Gueye will be 35 shortly after the beginning of next season so the manager may be looking for a long-term replacement for his Senegalese midfield general.

The ex-Burnley boss should look no further than Wharton, who has been outperforming Gueye across a variety of metrics this season, as shown below.

Wharton is arguably one of the best midfielders in the Championship already despite still being a teenager and Everton could replicate their Garner success by sneaking in ahead of the rest of the pack to secure his services this winter.