It’s been an interesting season for Crystal Palace this year, to put it diplomatically.
While the future looked rather bleak under Roy Hodgson’s guidance just a few months ago, Oliver Glasner’s appointment has breathed new life into the club, even if his brand of offensive football has yet to materialise in south London.
The signing of Adam Wharton has also given fans something else to celebrate, as the early signs look good. However, his modest wage makes another player’s salary look absurd.
Adam Wharton’s salary at Crystal Palace
The Eagles completed the £18.5m signing of Wharton on February 1st after several weeks of back-and-forth negotiations, and while that was undeniably a lot of money for a then-19-year-old with relatively little experience, it already looks like a brilliant deal.
The “English Cambiasso”, as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, has featured in all eight games the club have played since his arrival, starting seven of them.
However, his first two Palace games were something of a trial by fire. He was substituted for an injured Marc Guehi against Brighton & Hove Albion before making his first start at home to Chelsea.
While he couldn’t prevent the south Londoners from losing in either game, he did show glimpses of the talent that led to his signing. In the five games since, he has looked even more impressive, helping the club pick up six points from Glasner’s first six games in charge.
| Adam Wharton’s senior record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Club | Blackburn Rovers | Crystal Palace |
| Appearances | 51 | 8 |
| Goals | 4 | 0 |
| Assists | 5 | 0 |
| Goal Involvements per Match | 0.17 | 0.00 |
| All Stats via transfermarkt | ||
In all, the “complete midfielder,” as Kulig dubbed him, has already become one of the most important players at the club. So, the fact that he is earning a relatively modest – by football’s standards – wage of £35k-per-week is excellent business from Steve Parish and Co.
That said, it does make the wage of one senior player in the squad look particularly perplexing.
James Tomkins’ salary at Crystal Palace
The player in question is former West Ham United ace James Tomkins, who has been a Palace player for seven and a half years following his £10m move from the East London outfit in the summer of 2016, when Alan Pardew was at the helm.
It should be noted that the 34-year-old veteran has been an important player for the Eagles in the past and a consistently decent performer, racking up 135 appearances for the south Londoners during his stint at the club, but he has barely featured over the last two seasons.
Last year, he made just seven first-team appearances and this year, he’s featured even less, making just four, amounting to 87 minutes – 84 of which came in a League Cup tie against Championship side Plymouth Argyle.
This lack of game time probably wouldn’t be much of an issue if the former Hammer were on a low wage, but he is currently taking home £50k-per-week, which, when accounting for the seven and a half seasons he’s been at the club, means he has cost Palace around £20.1m in wages alone, or £30.1m altogether when taking his transfer fee into account.
| The finances of James Tomkins’ Crystal Palace career | |
|---|---|
| Fee | £10m |
| Wages per Week (Total) | £50k (£20.1m) |
| Total Cost | £30.1m |
| Appearances | 135 |
| Cost per Appearance | £222k |
| Goals | 10 |
| Cost per Goal | £3m |
| Assists | 2 |
| Cost per Assist | £15m |
| Goal Involvements | 12 |
| Cost per Goal Involvement | £2.5m |
| All Stats via Transfermarkt & All Wages via Capology | |
That means the Basildon-born defender has cost the club around £222k-per-appearance, £3m-per-goal, or £15m-per-assist.
Ultimately, Tomkins has been a reliable defender for Palace over the years and should be appreciated by the fans, but it has been clear for a couple of years now that he needs to be moved on, especially when he’s earning £15k-per-week more than one of the most promising players at the club.
