Former Premier League Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips has told Football Insider that West Ham could have a deal in place to sign Burnley defender James Tarkowski as the January transfer window approaches.
The 27-year-old centre-back recently stated he wouldn’t be signing a new deal with his current club as things stood, alerting the attentions of suitors across the top flight – none more so than the Hammers, who saw three bids rejected by Burnley for Tarkowski during the summer.
Phillips has now claimed a move away from Turf Moor could already be in place for the England international, saying: ”The agent may have already agreed something, spoke to them and said to Tarkowski, ‘just hang on until January.”
The former Sunderland striker continued: “He would have been disappointed not to have moved on. It looks as if the player has made up his mind – his time at Burnley is done. At least he has been vocal about it.”
Finally, the 47-year-old compared the current fortunes of the two clubs involved in the potential deal, saying: “He is taking stock of his own career and it looks like he wants to move on. It has been a tough start to the season for Burnley. He has been put under a lot of pressure.
“On the other hand, it has been a decent start for West Ham and David Moyes is building something there that Tarkowski may want to be a part of. It says to me that the player will be moving on in January.”
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
Here is a transfer rumour involving the Hammers which simply refuses to go away. David Moyes’ desperate quest for defensive additions in the summer was the Irons’ worst-kept secret, perhaps leading to a price hike from the selling clubs involved.
However, Moyes did manage to land Craig Dawson late on in the window from Watford; and despite the experienced on-loan man being yet to make his first league appearance in claret and blue, Dawson could be the answer to the short-term dilemma.
At 27, Tarkowski is likely to be in his prime right now, so the potential signing makes plenty of sense in terms of targeting an immediate impact.
However, with one eye on the future and another on the budget, given the eye-watering figures rejected in the summer for the Manchester-born defender, Moyes may be best served looking elsewhere at younger, more affordable options.
Furthermore, whether it’s the head-turning effect of all the interest, or through no fault of his own, Tarkowski’s Burnley side have made a dismal start to the 2020/21 campaign, sitting in the relegation zone without a win so far.
By contrast, West Ham’s central defensive threesome, primary manned by Fabian Balbuena, Angelo Obgonna and Aaron Cresswell have performed well this season through a tricky run of fixtures.
