I very much agree on his skillset and I think he'd be a fantastic option as someone we could sign to give us what Eriksen gave us during his first six months at the club. I'm just aware of the fact that a lot of people want a lot more of that from whatever midfielder(s) we bring in.
Where we differ is that I really don't see Wharton joining us next summer. In fact I don't see him joining anyone next summer. The early signs suggest he'll have a (fair to expect) wobble this season. Palace is not only the right club for him to have that at, it's also a club that has proven to be very good at holding onto their assets when they want to. They sold Olise in the summer gone, sure, but that meant they were able to stand firm when Newcastle tried everything to get Guehi. Palace have other players they can still move for big money before they consider selling Wharton, who - for me - needs a bit of time there anyway before the big clubs will want to meet the asking price of a player they've not long let in the door.
My guesswork on Angel's stance towards us is largely based on
this article. He talks a lot about how hard it was for him to leave, how he felt like he had to because he was just "there," and how much it meant when Boavista's coach outlined the importance he would have. I can't see any ill will, just a desire for clarity and assurances. These aren't always things you can get at a top club, but as you say if he goes up another level, maybe he can. But I do think he'd be happy to come back if and only if he got those things from us.
In terms of our own squad depth, maybe we're all just scarred by past injury crises but it should be perfectly acceptable - ideal, even - to go into a season with four good options for two deep midfield positions. Eriksen will likely be gone at the end of his contract, with Casemiro also looking like a strong possibility as things stand. That would leave Ugarte, Mainoo, and Collyer. It's very much up to the latter to take his chance this season and prove that he'd make a good option, but in the event that he does, would we really need to be signing two midfielders? Add Angel and you'd have four who have no serious injury concerns, are well away from any sort of predictable decline, and have a mix of skills that compliment each other. And all of them are great at retaining the ball and playing under pressure.
Personally I think that, even if two midfielders leave, we'll only sign the one. The question then becomes: are you gonna be okay if that one is Angel Gomes?
