Would you rather have Elliot Anderson or Adam Wharton?

There have been lots of rumours flying around about a pair of young England international midfielders, Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace and Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest. It feels highly unlikely that either team can hold onto their star through this coming summer, though their teams are probably trying to avoid selling this January.

Wharton was previously linked to a €70m move to Real Madrid, and I think the fee Palace eventually gets for his services will be higher than that. Both of the big Manchester clubs are reportedly interested in Anderson, with an £80m+ price expected for him.

The Anderson reports — and some recent transfers of Premier League proven, early prime age players — are why I feel the Wharton valuation kicking around Spanish media falls short of what English suitors will be willing to pay for him. These are players of similar age and quality, who play the same position, and who are providing similar levels of output. They are, however, a little bit different.

Anderson has been more of an elite ball progressor, while Wharton’s final ball in and around the box has been better. Some of this is likely the product of the teams they play on, but I think the passing stats are a fairly accurate representation of their abilities.

The defensive stuff I think is definitely much more about team style; Wharton is not asked to aggressively pressure opponents much, and Anderson is. The numbers could lead someone to a reasonable hypothesis that Anderson is more athletic and Wharton is more positionally sound, but I’m not confident that’s true.

In any event, just about every big team in the world who is in need of a No. 8 will have been scouting both of these players for quite some time, and probably having an internal debate about which one would be better for their team. So I’ll ask you: Which player would you rather sign?

More transfer rumours

• Conor Gallagher is heading to Spurs for £35m after passing his medical on Wednesday. He’s a better version of what they already have, rather than a solution to their ball-progressing problems, but he is at least a good central midfielder.

• In light of that, this rumour linking Manchester United to Marcos Llorente doesn’t make a ton of sense. I find it hard to believe United would spend £30m on a 31-year-old when they don’t have a permanent manager, and that Atléti could let another player go without lining up a direct replacement.

• Marc Guehi speculation continues, with Bayern Munich entering the mix, and Man City supposedly in pole position. With Palace glued to mid-table, a sale makes too much sense to not happen.

• With Antoine Semenyo arriving, Oscar Bobb could be allowed to leave, and Borussia Dortmund have been interested in him for a long time. My guess would be that he goes on loan without a buy option or obligation, unless someone offers a very large obligation.

• Aston Villa is shipping Donyell Malen out to Roma on a loan-to-buy for pretty much exactly what they paid for him. They’re looking into several potential replacements, including William Osula and Gonzalo Garcia.

• Everton apparently inquired about Ben White, but were told to do one, with Arsenal uninterested in giving up depth in the middle of a tight title race. I imagine that White will be available in the summer, though, given his recently reduced playing time.

• The Toffees will probably be more successful upgrading at striker, with Youssef En-Nesyri possibly coming in on a loan-to-buy after the Africa Cup of Nations. While the step up to the Premier League won’t be an easy one, he’s put up impressive numbers at Fenerbahce.

• We’ve got updates on a couple of young players previously mentioned in this newsletter. Suleiman Sani, who was mentioned in our last rumour roundup as an interesting prospect, is expected to make a move to RB Leipzig for €5m.

• Alex Toth, previously mentioned in a piece about U-21 players having great seasons in Europe, is the subject of interest from Bournemouth. If you have not seen this guy’s highlights tape yet, please go watch it.

• Crystal Palace are apparently willing to roll the dice on Sediki Cherif, a very talented young striker, but one that isn’t yet putting up big numbers in Ligue 1. If he does make the move, expect it to take a couple years for him to produce in the Premier League.

• Juventus is in talks for one of my favorite players, Oscar Mingueza, a playmaking fullback who does not run or play defense. Italy is perfect for him.

• Wolfsburg are trying to sign English center back Charlie Cresswell from Toulouse, and I’m very surprised he hasn’t returned to England yet. Especially with set pieces being all the rage, and Cresswell being a big boy who’s good at headers.

• Lucas Paqueta is trying to go home, but contrary to some rumours, he’s not going on strike and showed up to training today. West Ham are in negotiations with Flamengo, which would be the equivalent of giving up and admitting that relegation is imminent. I don’t think this is a bad thing; it’s Joever and they should get any bad contracts off the books that they can this January.

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