Everton are looking for options to boost their defence for next season. The Toffees have struggled both defensively and offensively this season and are currently in the relegation battle. One of their centre-backs, Michael Keane, could be on the move away from Goodison Park, with West Ham United emerging as the strong contender to sign the English defender. However, Everton have other plans and are looking to sign an experienced centre-back who could become their main man for next season. He is none other than Burnley’s James Tarkowski. The Toffees have already enquired about the defender and are looking to add him to their squad for the upcoming season. Tarkowski is playing his sixth straight season in the English Premier League and has made 191 appearances for the Clarets. The 29-year-old defender could be handy for Everton and here are some of his season highlights that will show why Everton are interested in signing the centre-back.
James Tarkowski has made 32 appearances for Burnley this season and has helped his side keep seven clean sheets. The defender has found the back of the net once and has also assisted twice in those 32 matches.
The above viz shows all the duels that were won by the player or the duels that ended in a neutral result. We can observe that he has won a lot of aerial duels, some of them inside the opposition’s penalty area. He is a threat inside the opposition’s box when it comes to corners and set-pieces. Other than this, the player has won most of the duels inside his half. This season, other than winning duels, Tarkowski has made 275 interceptions, most of them inside his team’s penalty box. The English centre-back has also made 426 recoveries, 64 of them inside the opposition’s half.
As mentioned earlier, the player is dangerous while going forward on set-pieces. He has attempted 17 shots this season, and five were on target. Of these 17 shots, five were attempted from inside the opposition’s penalty box. Overall, he has scored seven English Premier League goals.
The above viz compares the stats of James Tarkowski with Michael Keane. Tarkowski is represented in red and Keane in blue. We can observe that James Tarkowski has contested more aerial duels as well as defensive duels. Michael Keane has a high win percentage when it comes to winning defensive duels, and Tarkowski has a high win percentage in aerial duels. Other than this, Tarkowski has blocked more shots and made more interceptions than Keane. The player is also not shy about tackling and has committed more fouls.
James Tarkowski has risen through playing in the lower leagues and has been playing in the first division for the past six years. He has a lot of experience and would be a great addition to a young Everton defence. Everton will look to sign the defender in the upcoming transfer window and hope for defensive stability in the team. Tarkowski will be out of contract in the summer, and Everton could get him for free.
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