Media reports are circulating claiming that Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski is getting closer to a move to Everton with the defender apparently set for a medical.
A possible transfer to Everton for the 29-year-old has been on the cards ever since the close of last season and his team Burnley getting relegated.
There have been many stories linking the Blues’ with a deal for the central defender for days and now it seems as though his potential move to Merseyside is perhaps nearing completion.
So, is Tarkowski the right central defensive addition to this Toffees’ team?
Certainly he’s a solid and very experienced centre-back and has proved to be a durable and consistent performer in the heart of the Clarets defence over the past six seasons of Burnley playing in the Premier League.
That durability is one of the reasons – together obviously with him coming on a free transfer – why Everton are keen to sign him.
Given how fragile so many of the Blues’ defenders have been over the past few seasons that physical robustness is a significant plus with Tarkowski.
Wouldn’t it just be classic Everton though for him to sign and then pick up an injury in pre-season that keeps him out for say half the upcoming season! Let’s hope not of course.
In addition to his resiliance, Tarkowski is very strong in the air which given the Toffees’ weakness at set-pieces both defensively and in attack, will be welcome.
He’s also a defender who likes to clear the ball out and tackles strongly. He also enjoys carrying the ball out of defence when he can and linking up with midfield.
This quality might be something that Frank Lampard considers to be important going forward as he tries to reshape how his Everton team plays.
One other thing that could be in the manager’s thinking is that he can reprise his past reasonably successful partnership with Micheal Keane even though both are quite similar in statue and style.
I’m not sure that’s the best centre-back combination for the Blues’, particularly as both lack pace. But his experience and knowledge of Keane’s game might help because like it or not with this team’s injury problems, Keane is probably going to have to play quite a bit again next season.
So, it looks like Everton are inching closer to their first summer signing as Lampard begins to put his imprint on this Toffees’ squad.
There are lots of stories about defenders at the moment and it possible that if Tarkowski signs then there will be significant movement regarding other players in the coming days and weeks.