In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, renowned journalist Paul Brown stated that West Ham United are still showing interest in Burnley defender James Tarkowski. When asked about West Ham’s pursuit of the English centre-back, Brown said,
“I don’t think the Tarkowski interest has gone away. Obviously, they could be in another division and forced to sell in the summer. I think there’s a huge possibility that that deal could still happen.”
Tarkowski’s Solid Form At Lancashire This Season
Tarkowski has established himself as a dominant defender at Turf Moor over the past few years. Despite Burnley’s struggles in terms of getting results on the field, the English talent has done well to put in a few impressive displays at the heart of Sean Dyche’s defence.
The 29-year-old has given a good account of himself on the defensive end of the pitch based on his average of 1.9 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 5.5 clearances per 90 minutes in Premier League football. However, he has often gone long when distributing the ball which could be why he has only made 67.1% of his attempted passes in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
The 4th Official uses images provided by the following image agency:
Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.de/)
Imago Images (https://www.imago-images.de/)
Is Tarkowski A Good Choice For West Ham United?
Tarkowski can time his tackles well to earn possession back for his team inside his half. He doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball at every chance he gets. However, he needs to improve his accuracy when passing the ball out from the back. Hence, Tarkowski might struggle to settle into David Moyes‘ playing style at the London Stadium.
Still, the English defensive ace will no doubt bring more bite and steel to West Ham‘s backline and could help the Hammers sustain a top-four push in the Premier League next season.
Tarkowski could also serve as an upgrade over Angelo Ogbonna who has missed a significant chunk of this campaign due to a serious injury. At 29, the Burnley star has still got a few good years left in him and ticks all the right boxes in terms of what Moyes looks for in his centre-backs. Therefore, he will be an excellent choice for the Hammers to consider when the transfer window commences in the summer.
