Chelsea Transfers

[Special Juan 28,298]

Not getting the huge hype over Anderson

[Pizy 19,012]

36 minutes ago, Special Juan said:

Not getting the huge hype over Anderson

Yep. Good player for sure and can definitely see him playing well for a top club but he’s in no way a Caicedo or Rice £100m player.

For me Adam Wharton is the MUCH bigger talent. And I hope we’re in for him.

[Vesper 30,488]

41 minutes ago, Special Juan said:

Not getting the huge hype over Anderson

Adam Wharton (21-289, Crystal Palace) was the Big Five League leader for both Passes into the Final Third (11) and Long Passes Completed (10, alongside Udinese’s Nicolò Bertola). He was also the non-Defender leader for Progressive Passing Distance across all leagues with 442 yards, alongside PSG’s Warren Zaïre-Emery. Here it is.

You may be surprised to learn this was just the third game in his entire league career that Wharton has completed 10+ Passes into the Final Third. However, you need to remember that for Pathfinders like Wharton, it’s important to break down their passing output.

The list of U-23 players to complete 10+ Passes into the Final Third in a Premier League this season consists of Declan Rice’s prospective midfield partners for England at the 2026 World Cup. Elliot Anderson hit double figures six times this season before Wharton joined the list at the weekend. However, when breaking down these single-game tallies, their differing styles become clear.

Wharton ranks first for Percentage of Completed Passes into the Final Third, Distance per Pass Completed, Progressive Distance per Passes Completed, Long Passes Completed and Percentage of Passes as Long Passes. He ranks second for Percentage of Passes as Progressive Passes excluding Passes into the Penalty Area and Direct Ratio (Percentage of Distance as Progressive Distance).

This is a reflection of his style of play, his Pathfinder profile: Wharton accelerates the tempo with forward-first, long-range passing. Anderson profiles more like a Platformer: he dictates and controls tempo through volume. My theory is that this table is a microcosm of their overall output this season. Looking at a player’s most effective games for a key metric and how they achieved it usually reflects their skillset in its purest form.

Both approaches are informed and influenced by team environment, yes. Anderson may even move closer towards that Pathfinder style under Dyche. But it’s much more natural to Wharton and I think he’s a more effective exponent. You still shouldn’t read that as ‘Adam Wharton is better than Elliot Anderson’. You should read it as ‘Adam Wharton is different to Elliot Anderson’.

So, with regards to England, all of this must be considered in conjunction with Declan Rice’s own tendencies when deciding which player to pick alongside him. For what it’s worth, I think both Anderson and Wharton should be in the World Cup squad. Whoever starts should then depend on the opponent and the problems to be solved. We’ll park this discussion for now.