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Report: West Ham cool interest in ‘top player’, Moyes sets sights elsewhere
West Ham United have cooled their interest in signing Burnley defender James Tarkowski this summer, according to the .
The Clarets enforcer has been on the Irons’ radar for the past year and were set to revive efforts to bring the 28-year-old to east London. Clubs are readying raids on Turf Moor as the centre-half is out of contract in 12-months’ time.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City are also eager to sign Tarkowski if he is available for a modest fee. And Burnley are planning to replace the England international with Stoke City’s Nathan Collins for £12million.
West Ham fought to sign Tarkowski in last summer market with offers worth up to £31m lodged, per . Burnley rejected the bids as they wanted £50m, and the Daily Mail note a bid was also turned down in January.
Now, West Ham are pulling out of the race to sign Tarkowski as David Moyes is setting his sights elsewhere. The Irons boss seemingly believes there are better options on the market than the Manchester-born defender.
Napoli’s soon-to-be free-agent Nikola Maksimovic is one centre-back who is still wanted at the London Stadium. But West Ham face rival interest from Real Betis and Valencia, with the Serbian keen on a move to Spain.
TBR’s view: West Ham should pursue Tarkowski
West Ham could be making a mistake by pulling out of the race to sign Burnley defender Tarkowski this summer. Especially if the Englishman goes on to join Leicester or Wolves for a modest fee they could easily have matched.
Tarkowski is an excellent reader of the game and anticipates danger really well. He’s also strong in the air, puts his body on the line and keeps things simple to protect the net.
The Clarets star is also hard to beat on the ground and draws on his experience to move the ball well. He is also a consummate professional, which is why Sean Dyche praises the ‘top player’ and claimed he’s ‘amazed’, via the , that he is not a regular in the England squad last season.