David Moyes is now fighting his old club Everton to sign James Tarkowski for West Ham United in the summer.
The Lowdown: Thelwell favourite
Kevin Thelwell is thought to be a big admirer of Tarkowski, after watching him in Burnley’s 1-0 win over Wolves in the Premier League earlier this season.
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He is out of contract at Turf Moor in the summer, and so can be signed as a free agent.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is leading to a big fight for his signature, with Moyes now joining Frank Lampard in pursuit of the colossal tough-tackling defender.
The Latest: Moyes fighting
As per Football Insider, a source from the Hammers has revealed that Moyes has now ‘signalled his intent’ to fight the Goodison Park faithful for Tarkowski, and he is seen as a ‘perfect Moyes player’.
The central defender has rejected a number of offers to extend his contract from the Clarets, and so is destined to leave on a free transfer with Everton and West Ham now set to battle it out.
The Verdict: Bargain
If the Merseyside club are able to land Tarkowski ahead of the Hammers, then they would certainly be getting a bargain for no initial transfer fee.
Once dubbed as ‘outstanding’ by his former manager Sean Dyche, he would clearly be an upgrade on who they already have, as he wins more aerial duels and averages more clearances and blocks per match than all of Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate and Michael Keane in the top flight (WhoScored).
Nonetheless, providing that they can stay up, Tarkowski offers the added Premier League experience and know-how that the Toffees would not be able to get by buying abroad.
In other news, find out which Blues trio could now move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer here!
