Manchester City supporters have reacted with a mixture of frustration, disbelief and desperation after the club’s enquiry for Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton was rebuffed.
According to the report, City have made enquiries about a potential deal for Wharton. However, Palace have made their position clear: the England midfielder is not for sale this summer.
That news has not gone down well with sections of the Manchester City fanbase.
A post from City Xtra on X sparked a huge reaction from supporters. While some fans remain hopeful that City could persuade Palace to reconsider, many others focused on what they see as another example of poor timing in the transfer market.
The reaction was particularly strong because Manchester City need midfield reinforcements.
With the club undergoing significant changes following Pep Guardiola’s departure in June and Enzo Maresca now in charge, supporters expected the transition to be accompanied by decisive recruitment.
Instead, the Wharton situation has left many fans asking whether City have left themselves with too much work to do late in the transfer window.
For many supporters, however, the biggest issue is not simply Palace’s refusal.
It is why Manchester City are making the enquiry now.
The timing has left sections of the City fanbase scratching their heads, particularly with the transfer window approaching its final stages. Supporters have questioned why the club did not make a serious approach earlier if Wharton was genuinely considered an important target.
One reaction in particular sums up the mood perfectly:
“A bit late for enquiries, don’t you think?”
That sentiment runs through much of the response to the news.
Man City fans question the timing
There was an immediate sense of disbelief among supporters following the revelation that City had only made enquiries about Wharton’s availability.
The question many fans appear to be asking is straightforward.
If Manchester City wanted Adam Wharton, why wait until now to find out whether Crystal Palace would sell?
That is what makes the news particularly frustrating.
Palace’s position is understandable. They have no obligation to sell one of their most important players, especially late in the summer when replacing him would be extremely difficult.
But City supporters believe the situation could have been avoided if the club had acted earlier.
Rather than discovering in August that Wharton is not for sale, fans would have preferred Manchester City to establish Palace’s position weeks or even months ago.
“We never start to inquire and enquire”
That frustration was reflected in another supporter reaction, which criticised City’s habit of repeatedly making enquiries rather than immediately pursuing a deal.
The comment about City “inquiring and enquire” was humorous, but it captured an increasingly common complaint.
Supporters want action.
They do not want Manchester City simply asking whether a player is available.
They want the club to identify its targets early, establish realistic valuations and then move decisively.
That is particularly important in the case of Wharton.
If Palace were always going to reject approaches for the midfielder, then City have potentially wasted valuable time.
And if Palace’s position could have been changed with a huge offer, fans want to know why such an offer was not made earlier.
“Basically City need to pay up”
Some supporters took a different view.
Jvshyyy argued that Manchester City simply need to pay up.
That reaction suggests there is still a belief among fans that the transfer could potentially happen if City are serious enough.
Another supporter urged the club to “Give them an offer they can’t refuse.”
There was even a suggestion that City should offer £90 million to convince Palace to reconsider.
But even this group of supporters is ultimately demanding the same thing: decisive action.
The difference is that they believe the late enquiry can still be rescued with the right offer.
That is a much more aggressive approach than simply accepting Palace’s “not for sale” response.
“Pay whatever… we need him”
The desperation was perhaps best captured by one supporter who wrote:
“Pay whatever… we need him.”
The reaction highlights how highly some fans regard Wharton.
The Palace midfielder is viewed as a potential long-term solution in midfield, and supporters clearly believe he could be an important addition to Maresca’s Manchester City squad.
But there is also an obvious problem.
Paying an enormous fee at this stage of the window would represent exactly the type of situation fans are complaining about.
If City had acted earlier, they might have had more time to negotiate.
Now, Palace know City are under pressure.
That could make any potential deal considerably more expensive.
“Embarrassing late business so far”
CitehFC described City’s transfer activity as “Embarrassing late business so far.”
That comment perhaps gets closest to the heart of the issue.
Manchester City are not being criticised simply because Palace rejected Wharton.
They are being criticised because the enquiry reinforces the perception that the club is leaving important recruitment decisions too late.
That is a dangerous situation for a team beginning a new era.
With Enzo Maresca succeeding Pep Guardiola in June, expectations are naturally high.
Maresca needs the right players to implement his ideas, while City supporters expect the club to remain competitive at the highest level.
Late recruitment makes both objectives more difficult.
“God, what’s happening to my club?”
One supporter asked:
“God what’s happening to my club?”
Another simply wrote:
“WE STINK.”
Those emotional responses show just how quickly frustration can build among a fanbase accustomed to seeing Manchester City operate with confidence.
For years, City supporters watched the club identify targets and complete major deals without appearing overly concerned about the pressure of the final days of the window.
The current situation feels different to some fans.
The Wharton enquiry has therefore become symbolic of a wider concern.
Is City’s recruitment strategy sufficiently proactive?
Or is the club reacting to problems as they emerge?
The Liverpool comparison
One supporter even questioned why Manchester City could not force a deal in the same way Liverpool had reportedly pushed through its situation involving Alexander Isak.
The comparison reveals the frustration.
Fans see rival clubs making major moves and wonder why City cannot do the same.
Of course, every transfer is different.
Crystal Palace have the right to keep Wharton, and Manchester City cannot simply force them to sell.
But that does not address the timing issue.
City had plenty of opportunities to explore the player’s availability before the final weeks of the window.
That is what supporters are struggling to understand.
Some fans have already given up
Not every supporter believes City should continue pursuing Wharton.
Stephen’s response — “That’s that settled then…” — suggests that some fans already view Palace’s stance as the end of the story.
Another supporter replied:
“Of course he is.”
That reaction reflects a sense of inevitability.
Manchester City enquire.
The selling club says no.
City move on.
For supporters already frustrated by the timing of the summer window, that pattern is becoming increasingly irritating.
The real concern is bigger than Adam Wharton
Ultimately, the Adam Wharton story is not just about one player.
It is about Manchester City’s transfer strategy.
If Wharton was identified as a priority target, supporters want to know why the club waited so long to test Crystal Palace’s position.
If he was only a secondary option, then fans will want to know why the enquiry has generated so much attention at this stage of the window.
Either way, the timing has created questions.
And that explains why the most important reaction is not necessarily “pay £90m” or “pay whatever.”
It is:
“A bit late for enquiries, don’t you think?”
That line captures the mood perfectly.
Manchester City fans are not simply demanding another expensive signing.
They are demanding a clear plan.
With Maresca now leading the club into the post-Guardiola era, supporters want to see decisive recruitment rather than late enquiries and increasingly difficult negotiations.
Crystal Palace may ultimately remain firm on Wharton.
If they do, City will have to move quickly for an alternative.
Because the biggest lesson from the reaction to this story is clear: Manchester City fans are running out of patience with late transfer business.
