"Absolute privilege" - Blackburn Rovers regret issued over Adam Wharton, Crystal Palace transfer | OneFootball

The Rovers academy graduate has become a Premier League regular and full England international since leaving Ewood Park

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Every club will have their own tales of a bright young star cheer-picked by those higher up the football pyramid, and Blackburn Rovers are certainly no different in that regard in recent seasons.

The Lancashire outfit have seen one of their own fly to extraordinary heights of late, with Adam Wharton making the rise from Championship regular to International stardom within the blink of an eye.

Still only 20 years of age, the midfielder looks to have a bright future ahead of him, with the reported £18 million - that could potentially rise to £22 million - that Crystal Palace paid for him earlier this year already looking like a brilliant bit of business by the Eagles.

As a result, it is no surprise that Football League World’s Blackburn Rovers fan pundit Toby Wilding would have loved to have seen more of their home-grown talent at Ewood Park, even if the reasons for his departure were understandable at the time.

Adam Wharton shines for Blackburn Rovers before Crystal Palace move

It is hard to believe that Wharton had only made 44 league appearances for Rovers before Palace swooped eight months ago to bring him to the Premier League, with his obvious talent and potential there for all to see from the very beginning.

Even as a teenager, the midfielder was running games at Ewood Park, with his energy and protection of the ball in possession proving to be of a quality that much surpassed the second tier.

Having already gone on to become a regular at Selhurst Park, as well as play minutes for England over the summer, it is no wonder that Wilding craves the chance to see more of the boy wonder in a Rovers shirt, after he left the club on the final day of the most recent winter transfer window.

When asked which player who would have loved to have seen more of before they left, the Rovers fan said: “Certainly in recent times I would have to say Adam Wharton, he was just an absolute joy to watch.

“Even at such an early stage of his career you could see how far he was going to go in terms of the Premier League and England, so he just stood out so consistently in the Championship, which was remarkable to see at his age.

“The fact that he had that connection with the club - being a boyhood Blackburn fan who had come through the academy - just made it even more satisfying to see.

“So I think to be able to enjoy a bit more of that would have been an absolute privilege, even if I do understand why the move happened, in terms of needing to bring money into the club, and giving him the opportunity to make the next step in his career.”

Adam Wharton continues to thrive in the Premier League for Crystal Palace

After his first international appearance at senior level, and inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad, Wharton has gone from strength to strength since leaving Ewood Park, and continues to rule the roost for Palace under Oliver Glasner.

The midfielder continues to make himself one of the first names on the team sheet with his imperious performances in the middle of the pitch, and has rightly caught the eye of even more sides as a result of his showings.

According to Caught Offside, Premier League Champions Manchester City are thought to be considering the Englishman as a replacement for Spanish midfield general Rodri in the future, which only underlines what a talent Rovers produced through their academy.

Although they may not have seen him in the blue and white for as long as they would have liked, watching his rise in the game will give all those at Ewood Park no shortage of pride as one of their own thrives on the highest stage.