West Ham United are interested in bringing England international James Tarkowski to the club from Burnley. Tarkowski has become one of the most consistent central defenders in the Premier League over the last few seasons.
Football Insider has reported that the Burnley defender wants to leave the club and return to London. The report claims that a switch to West Ham United in the summer would be agreeable to the 28-year-old defender. The Hammers were interested in Tarkowski last summer and made a bid of £30 million which was rejected by Burnley.
Burnley could be forced to sell James Tarkowski as his current deal with the club expires next summer. The centre-back has made over 180 appearances for the Clarets since signing for them in 2016.
James Tarkowski: Will he improve their team?
West Ham United had a successful 2020-21 Premier League campaign as David Moyes guided the Hammers to a 6th place finish. The London side will take part in the Europa League next season, which will require them to have a deep squad. The Hammers have let go of defender Fabian Balbuena but have signed Craig Dawson on a permanent deal after he spent the season on loan at the club. Winston Reid, who hasn’t played for the London side in the last three seasons, could also leave.
This leaves manager David Moyes with three experienced centre-backs in Angelo Ogbonna, Issa Diop, and Dawson. For a top-half Premier League team who will want to make a statement in Europe, the presence of at least 4 reliable options in central defence is of paramount importance. West Ham could play a game every 3-4 days for months if they go deep in the Europa League and cup competitions and that is a possibility Moyes surely has to account for before the season begins.
James Tarkowski could be a solid addition to the Hammers squad as the Englishman is a player who has vast Premier League experience and is a dependable player at the back. Tarkowski is an old-fashioned centre-back who is superb in the air, likes to put attackers under pressure with his strong tackling, and is not afraid to throw his body on the line. Tarkowski averaged a whopping 4.6 aerial wins per game last season in the Premier League and made 1.8 tackles per game.
The English defender is a leader at the back, who can organize the Hammers defence to make them a much stronger outfit. He has been consistently good over the last 2-3 seasons, which earned him an England call-up. The Burnley player is at the prime of his career and could help West Ham maintain their newfound momentum in the Premier League thanks to his physicality, leadership, and consistency.