£70m star is Spurs’ top midfield target

There might well be a few Tottenham Hotspur managers of years gone by looking on enviously at the transfer war chest being assembled for Roberto De Zerbi, the Italian seemingly set to be backed extensively this summer.

Who can forget that infamous period under Mauricio Pochettino in which the Lilywhites went 18 months without making a first-team signing, the genius Argentine still steering the club to a Champions League showpiece regardless.

There’s no danger of a repeat with three new signings already in the door for De Zerbi, with Jan Paul van Hecke joining Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson as another experienced, Premier League-proven arrival at N17.

Fresh off a woeful domestic campaign, that trio of incomings is set to be just the start as the north Londoners seek to splurge on something of a mass squad overhaul ahead of next season.

Spurs’ midfield search now hotting up in north London

What a week of news at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with it first emerging that ENIC might well have competition from Manchester City for the signing of Sandro Tonali, despite their parallel move for Elliot Anderson.

The Etihad side seemingly want both, although Spurs are keen on something of a double deal of their own, following reports that they could look to hijack Manchester United’s pursuit of West Ham midfielder, Mateus Fernandes.

Talks have been held regarding a potential move for the Portuguese youngster, with there still a chance that both Fernandes and Tonali join De Zerbi’s ranks in the coming weeks.

Spurs’ actual top midfield target could be a different name altogether, however, with transfer insider Dean Jones – writing for Flashscore – revealing that it is Adam Wharton whom the club would ‘ideally like to bring to north London’.

The Crystal Palace sensation is viewed as one of Tottenham’s ‘priority targets’, said to be among those ‘highest on their shortlist’, albeit with rivals Liverpool also in the mix.

According to Jones, there could be attempts to progress a deal ‘soon’, with Spurs ‘serious’ about signing a player who could reportedly fetch around £70m.

How Wharton compares to Fernandes and Tonali

There won’t be anyone counting their chickens yet at Spurs after notably missing out on Eberechi Eze and co last summer, but for all the torment of last season, such potential statement moves speak to a brighter future under De Zerbi.

For Tonali, this is a player seemingly entering his peak at 26, named last year as the Premier League’s leading midfielder by a certain Paul Scholes.

As for Fernandes, he has suffered back-to-back relegations with Southampton and the Hammers, although at 21, he’s a young talent with sky-high potential, tipped to be the next Bruno Fernandes in the making.

And yet, the cream of the crop might well be Wharton, the Englishman so consistently excellent since signing from Blackburn Rovers on a £20m deal back in early 2024.

Part of Palace’s FA Cup and Conference League triumphs in back-to-back seasons, having also won the 2025 Community Shield, the 22-year-old has been central to everything good about the south London side, the midfield metronome in Oliver Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 set-up.

He did only recently score his first Eagles goal against Brentford, although that solitary strike still saw him eclipse Tonali’s Premier League goal tally for 2025/26.

Fernandes was clear with three goals, yet Wharton trumped both in terms of assists, notching five while his two top-flight counterparts recorded just six combined.

Even while operating in a deeper role to the pair, Wharton is such a creative, progressive force, boasting a stellar 1.3 key passes per game last term, while creating 14 ‘big chances’ – the seventh best record in the division.

For comparison, Fernandes averaged one key pass per game and created only three ‘big chances’, while Tonali averaged 0.9 and created just six ‘big chances’.

For the Newcastle man, it was a muted season both individually and collectively, while he previously made only eight league appearances in 2023/24 due to his gambling ban, leaving 2024/25 as his only truly standout campaign at St James’ Park.

Fernandes, meanwhile, is almost the same age as Wharton yet hasn’t hit the same heights so far, as his two relegations highlight, with it difficult to see why he would justify a superior price tag to the ex-Rovers gem.

Wharton has already claimed silverware of late and looks like the man in form, even while having been snubbed by Thomas Tuchel for this summer’s World Cup.

Tonali and Fernandes, of course, wouldn’t be sniffed at, yet the silky Palace starlet could represent the biggest talent of the lot.