Jamie Carragher's reaction to £100m claim about player loved by Pep Guardiola
Adam Wharton has been one of the standout midfield players in the Premier League this season, with his energetic and combative displays inspiring Crystal Palace to their first ever FA Cup triumph
Jamie Carragher has hit back at claims by a fan that Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton is worth £100million, insisting "no one's paying that" in the Premier League. Wharton has had an excellent season under Oliver Glasner, with his energetic midfield displays inspiring the Eagles to their first ever FA Cup triumph.
Wharton's season was limited by a groin injury, which kept him out for three months, but went straight back into the starting XI after returning to the squad and has become one of the first names on the team-sheet.
The 21-year-old has already picked up his first England cap after being called up by Gareth Southgate for last summer's Euro 2024.
His superb form this season has led to speculation he could join a top Premier League side as one supporter in The Overlap Fan Debate claimed it would take £100m to snap him up.
Both Carragher and co-host Paul Scholes were left baffled as the former let rip at the fan for his remarks.
He replied: "£100m? No one's paying £100m for Adam Wharton. I like Adam Wharton. Anyone who pays £100m for him you're mad. £100m?! Oh my god. £100m for Adam Wharton? You wouldn't buy him for £100m don't be daft."
Scholes was equally surprised by the fan's claim as he said: "£100m? Is that with his wages for 20 years, or...? He's a good player but not £100m."
The supporter was left in stitches after being roasted by the Liverpool legend, whose retort led to laughter from other fans in the studio.
While Carragher doesn't appear to hold Wharton in the highest regard, the player is highly rated by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who has praised him a handful of times.
Speaking before City's 5-2 win over Palace in April, the Spaniard said: 'He's an excellent holding midfielder.
His impact has been really good coming from the Championship to the Premier League. Really good left foot. Really good player."
Wharton was subbed off during that heavy defeat, but he was one of the best players on the pitch as Palace defeated City in their famous 1-0 at Wembley to win the FA Cup.
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BBC News
7 minutes ago
- BBC News
What now for Scotland as Clarke enters final chapter?
Three hundred and sixty five long days ago, Steve Clarke's Scotland strode out at Hampden Park, their last auf Wiedersehen before they went off to give Germany, Switzerland and Hungary what for at Euro 2024. By the time they finished their farewell on the back of an uninspiring - and at times chaotic - 2-2 draw, those in the stands could probably tell what was about to unfold over the next few weeks. They had seen it all before at the previous Euros. They had bought the T-shirt and the sticker album. A year on, that feeling lingered in the Glasgow air again. Against a bang average Iceland, Clarke's Scotland were meek, weak and bleak. The snarling Scots who bloodied the noses of Spain were nowhere to be seen. No whiff of the streetwise bunch who suckered Croatia and Poland within days of each other last night at Hampden has left more questions than answers. Clarke may have hauled Scotland to two major finals, but there have been some real raw moments of alarm that have brought a dose of reality and gravity to it was the latest one, a sucker right between the eyes. "Don't get cocky boys, remember, you're Scotland, you don't qualify for World Cups. Down you go."Qualification for 2026 global showpiece does not start until September for Scotland, but this was meant to be the first step towards it. Instead, the Tartan Army are entitled to wonder where Clarke's team is going. Slicker only part of horror story It took until an hour after full-time on Friday for the Scotland head coach to emerge to give his view on what had just unfolded. As ever, Clarke remained level in his tone and mood. There was disappointment at a lacklustre start. There was sympathy for clearly confidence-stricken goalkeeper Cieran Slicker, who was plunged into the debut of his nightmares after Angus Gunn's early departure. There was a low-key hope that next time - Liechtenstein on Monday - will be fairness, it could not have been a whole lot worse. Scotland were unimaginative in front of goal and porous in defence against the world's 74th-best team. Slicker - Ipswich Town's back up who has yet to play a league game - will be cursing his sloppy kick out seconds after coming on that led to the opener. He will also no doubt be replaying goals two and three that evaded his to lay all Scotland's failings at the door of a 22-year-old making an unexpected debut would be grossly unfair. This was a Scotland team - containing two Serie A champions, a Coppa Italia final hero, and a Premier League winner among others - who could not conjure enough to overcome an Iceland team who lost 3-1 to Kosovo at home in it was a friendly, but an alarm is going off. Three months ago, the Scots were shellacked 3-0 at home by Greece, halting any sort of momentum built from three wins on the spin. But, in truth, Clarke's side have come up short more often than not in recent times, even if performances have sometimes merited more. Four wins from their last 21 games. Twelve defeats in that time, 22 goals scored and 42 against. Losses at home to Northern Ireland, Finland, Greece and now Iceland. It does not give off the feel of a Scotland team who can just get the job done. Of a team that is moving forward. "If you go back only a very short period of time, Steve Clarke could do no wrong," former Scotland striker Steven Thompson said on BBC Scotland."This is a defeat, at home, to a weaker nation than ourselves and questions will be asked. When you go into proper World Cup qualifying, these performances won't be tolerated." What now for Clarke? Thompson is right about that, but where are Scotland under Clarke?Undoubtedly, the former Kilmarnock and West Bromwich Albion manager has overseen the brightest spell for Scotland in terms of qualification since the 1990s. Two European Championships have been reached, after a hollow feeling was left after both finals, given how much of a whimper the Scots went out on each occasion. The novelty of simply being there had worn off as Germany's fifth goal hit the net in last June's torrid opening game in Munich.A World Cup still eludes Clarke, who has said there is a "75% chance" he will not renew his deal with the Scottish FA after next summer's finals. A quick scan of social media tells you some are clamouring for that to be a 0% chance. And now. But is that rational after a friendly defeat?Clear, logical thinking and a football fan after a bad defeat rarely go hand in hand, but these friendlies are not without meaning or consequence. Scotland now have a cluster of players good enough to compete in a qualifying group containing Denmark, Greece and Belarus. The problem is, would you stick your mortgage on them getting the job done?Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes and former forward James McFadden both spoke post-match about momentum and its importance. Lose in Liechtenstein and Clarke's side are going into their opener in Denmark on the back of three defeats."I think Steve Clarke will admit that it's not good enough," former Scotland defender Willie Miller said."I don't see him changing in any way his support for the players, but you've got to be honest with the fans, with everybody, that that's not acceptable."In reality, it is unlikely anything will happens in Liechtenstein that prevents Clarke from being the man to try to navigate Scotland through a qualifying. Although that opinion might be revised after another defeat. He should have enough credit in the bank, though, and there will be enough desire from him to be the man to get Scotland to a World Cup for the first time since by Clarke's own admission, we are likely entering his final chapter. Friendlies or not, how he handles the coming days - and how his team end this international window - could play a key part in defining his legacy as Scotland is all about momentum. Clarke and Scotland need to find it - and fast.
The Herald Scotland
16 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
'Thrilling and exhilarating': Scottish debut album from 1990 sparkles
It disclosed that a new remaster of The Same Sky, the much-lauded 1990 debut album by the band to which she gave her name, was in the hands of Seabass Vinyl, a vinyl pressing plant in East Lothian. Horse hopes to have copies by June 21, ahead of the launch that night of The Same Sky 35 tour, which kicks off at Paisley Arts Centre. The Same Sky, which was released on EMI/Capitol in June 1990, just as Glasgow's reign as City of Culture was coming to an end, is widely seen as one of the most assured, and soulful, Scottish debuts of recent decades. With lyrics written by the guitarist Angela McAlinden and sung by the powerfully expressive vocalist that is Horse, it reached number 44 in the UK charts. One un-named American journalist is said to have described it as 'the best debut album for years'. Horse, as a solo artist, has since gone on to release, on her own Randan label, several solo albums, the most recent of which is The Road Less Travelled. She was first to bring an orchestra to the Barrowland venue in 1995 – the Scottish Chamber Orchestra – and has collaborated with Lynn Ferguson to turn her true-life stories into Careful, a well-received, one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe, which was named after one of the stand-out tracks on The Same Sky. In 2016, interviewed by the Australian magazine, LOTL, Horse was asked for the secret of her longevity. Her answer was revealing. 'Making The Same Sky was thrilling and exhilarating — a real life-changer', she said. 'I've never, ever lost that sense when making music. It brings me great joy. I understand, with hindsight, that from teenage years to now, my music has developed from within me by way of osmosis and absolute heart, not head. It has quite literally saved me. It has been my solace and comfort, a companion and a great healer. 'My idea of success and longevity has completely and utterly changed over the years that I have been making music', she added. 'Because I put so much of myself into my music, it's obvious why I would take it personally when commercial 'success', or rather, the widely held view of what success is, may have eluded me. However, I reached a place personally and professionally, long ago of being happy with my success. The great sense of achievement and pleasure from still making music and having a true and positive impact on people is incredible. I feel very lucky'. Horse was born in Newport on Tay, in Fife, and grew up in Lanark. She once explained to the Los Angeles Times, 'I hated my birth name, don't ask me what it is. I grew up thinking it was a punishment, so when I was about 14, I changed it to Horse. Almost overnight I became a new person'. In interviews she spoke of having a terrible time growing up, being attacked and bullied because she was gay in a small town, and, eventually, forcing her to leave. Music, and writing her own stories, proved to be her salvation. 'Writing songs in my little back bedroom was a way to close the door on all of that and escape to another world,' Horse told Billy Sloan a few years ago. 'It became a means of taking care of myself and also releasing lots of unhappiness, anger and tension. What began to happen was a kind of osmosis, almost. My emotions became the root of the songs, which makes them all quite heartfelt.' In the Eighties, she met Angela McAlinden, and they began working on songs together, and over the years other musicians joined them. Horse, who wrote the melodies, and Angela, who composed the lyrics, made a formidable team. A tape made by the band came to the attention of the producers on The Tube, a wildly popular TV music show at the time. 'We were really just thrown on', Horse told The National, the Herald's sister paper, in 2022. The band guested on the show in March 1987. 'The soundcheck was the camera check – and there were cameras everywhere! My mouth was so dry and I could hardly sing. However, in those days there was no social media or way of contacting the show other than phoning in and they told us that the switchboard had been jammed with people asking about 'that' band. "At that point we had no management, and we really weren't equipped to 'go'. It was such a lost opportunity but what a great experience for us. A mass audience of over five million meant when we were back in Scotland people did start to look and point at me in the street. Not for bad reasons either'. Read more After more demo tapes being sent to publishers and labels a publishing deal was finally secured with the giant EMI. Sally Perryman organised a showcase in Glasgow for the top record labels at what was then the Third Eye Centre (now the CCA), and from this they signed to Capitol. The two women began crafting the 10 songs that would appear on the album. The production was in the hands of Pete Smith, for whom the band first showcased the album's songs in a gig at Paisley Arts Centre – the very place where the Same Sky 35 tour begins in a fortnight's time. The recording of the album was, however, interrupted by an unforeseeable development; realising that something was amiss with her voice, Horse consulted a doctor, then a specialist, who told that she had a node on her left vocal cord. The singer wanted to delay an operation until after the album was finished, but the specialist recommended otherwise. The operation took place, and she had to remain silent for 10 days. The recording of her vocals was put back for two months; in the meantime, the band continued to put down the tracks. The 10 songs on The Same Sky have so many highlights, as signalled by the opening, soaring one-two of …And She Smiled, and The Speed of the Beat of My Heart. Careful, the poignant closing track, was recorded with a 12-piece string section and arranged by Audrey Riley. It was the ultimate single from the album, it would later be covered, solo and with an acoustic guitar, by Will Young. Horse is in superb voice throughout, and the emotional impact of Angela's lyrics can't be overstated. One track, Sweet Thing, expresses a sense of longing, and also gives rise to the album title: 'Can our hearts synchronise, my baby? / Miles of distance come between us like years/ Covered by the same sky but so separately…' It also happens to be Pete Smith's favourite track on the record. He's especially proud of the build-up into the chorus, as he told Davie Scott on the latter's BBC Radio Scotland Classic Scottish Albums series in 2022. 'Sometimes you get something eighty per cent right, sometimes you get things fifty per cent right. I got that a hundred per cent right'. Horse, in subsequent interviews, spoke of her lasting pride in the record, noting with pride that a lot of people had said it remained their favourite albums of the Nineties. But there is perhaps a sense that greater success might have been yielded by The Same Sky. There were several time-consuming issues with the record label, Capitol UK, and frustrations with the way that Horse herself was marketed. 'We were never part of any clique', she reflected as she discussed the album with Davie Scott. 'We were never part of the Glasgow crowd, like Postcard [Records], but we were around at the same time as Hue and Cry, Deacon Blue, [the Pearlfishers], H20 – a really successful seam of Scottish artists – but we always just never seemed to pass Go and collect £200. 'For me, with hindsight, some of it was to do with two women being at the front of the band – particularly myself, being gay, being lesbian, and very obviously lesbian, because I was very androgynous … so I think we didn't tick the boxes that lots of other people ticked, and something that could have been incredibly powerful in terms of media, or just a real marketable brand thing, was Marmite. Ultimately, I just wanted our music to be heard". Read more On the Record It took another three years before the follow-up album, the equally fine God's Home Movie was released on MCA/Universal, in November 1993, and peaked at 42 in the British charts. Speaking to the Evening Times in August 1993, Horse said: 'We've always been very optimistic about our music and knew that sooner or later we'd be able to put problems into the past. Playing live during the last couple of years has been great for us. Despite the fact that we couldn't solve the record-company hassles, we knew there were a lot of fans out there who hadn't forgotten about us. They really kept us going and made us doubly determined to succeed.'' The Herald's David Belcher predicted at the time: 'It would seem that Horse McDonald, the woman, and Horse, the band, are on the verge of becoming Horse, the big-time pop phenomenon'. It didn't quite work out like that, unfortunately, and the band eventually broke up. But Horse has continued to successfully release her own music since 1999. The most recent album was The Road Less Travelled in 2024. The Same Sky 35 anniversary tour, and the 2025 remaster, will add lustre to the reputation of an excellent debut album. * For full dates of the Same Sky 35 tour, see
Metro
25 minutes ago
- Metro
Jack Grealish 'walks into Liverpool and Chelsea teams' as Man City exit looms
Shay Given insists his former teammate Jack Grealish still walks into any starting XI in the Premier League – including those of Liverpool and Chelsea. Having played a starring role in Manchester City's treble triumph two seasons ago, Grealish has fallen out of favour at the Etihad, starting just 16 matches in all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign. The 29-year-old found himself left out the squad for City's final game of the Premier League against Fulham in May. A week later, he left among the subs for the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace where Pep Guardiola opted to call upon 19-year-old Claudio Echeverri for his debut over the £100million man as City chased an equaliser that never came. That fee City paid Aston Villa four years ago still stands as a British transfer record but Grealish's time at the club looks to be up with the expected arrivals of Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders set to push him further down the pecking order. Tottenham, Newcastle United and former side Villa are among those to have been credited with interest in the attacking midfielder with latest reports suggest he could be available for £40m. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. Former City goalkeeper Given, who also played alongside Grealish at Villa Park after he emerged from the club's academy, is convinced there will be a long list of potential destinations. The former Republic of Ireland star recalled Grealish's 'phenomenal' performance for England against the Boys in Green in September last year, confident he can still produce those performances at the highest level. 'I think Jack has been a generational talent, I really do,' Given told Metro. 'I think Jack can play for every single team in the country. 'I remember not so long ago he was playing a central role for England when they played Ireland last year, he was the star man, he was phenomenal that day. 'He is only 29, he still has three or four brilliant years ahead of him at the top. Having not played recently, he will be really hungry to go out there and show how good he is. 'I wouldn't want to name clubs but at the same time I think he walks into any team in the country, that even includes Liverpool or Chelsea or anyone. I think he just needs to be given a batch of games to show how good he is back in that central position and not out wide.' Grealish is not expected to be part of the City squad for the Club World Cup with their campaign underway against Wydad AC on 18 June in Philadelphia – with Given part of the DAZN broadcast team covering the event. A move could be on the cards very soon and while City would prefer a permanent move get the player's £300,000-a-week wages off the books, a loan could also be considered. Given believes there still could be a way back at City for Grealish in the long-term, but has urged him to find a club where he can get back to playing regular football. More Trending 'Reading between the lines, the writing is on the wall,' Newcastle legend Given said. 'I'm not sure what the situation is but it doesn't look like he is going to travel with the squad. 'We have to see what happens, maybe it is time to try and find a new opportunity elsewhere. Maybe on a loan deal somewhere, go do well and maybe come back to City. So it might not be in the end of the road, I don't know. 'But what I do know is Jack just wants to get back to playing football again. That's the most important thing.' Shay Given was speaking ahead of the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Watch all 63 games live on DAZN for free. MORE: Reece James reacts to Chelsea's signing of in-demand striker Liam Delap MORE: Thierry Henry's warning to Arsenal and Chelsea over signing 'amazing' £60m striker MORE: Ray Parlour tells 'great' Chelsea star to snub shock Arsenal transfer
