Newcastle United are closing in on a colossal signing as they head towards the summer transfer window…
What’s the talk?
The Mirror’s James Nursey has revealed that fellow Premier League side West Ham believe that he will be signing for the Magpies at the end of the season.
He is out of contract this year and it remains to be seen whether or not Burnley will be able to convince him to put pen to paper on fresh terms, which would force PIF to shell out a transfer fee for him.
Nursey Tweeted: “WHUFC end interest in free agent James Tarkowski as they expect him to go to Newcastle.”
Supporters will be elated
The Toon supporters will surely be elated by this news as Tarkowski would be a colossal signing for Eddie Howe’s team.
He is a proven Premier League performer who has been consistently brilliant at the back for a number of years at Turf Moor. Tarkowski has racked up 192 top-flight appearances for Burnley since their promotion in 2014 and has been a considerable part of their success in staying in the division for the past eight years.
Would Tarkowski be a good signing?
His side are currently 17th and battling against the drop but have a better defensive record than nine other teams in the league. The centre-back has been key to this as he has averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.17 across 33 outings this term.
Tarkowski has won a whopping 68% of his individual duels and won 4.4 aerial battles per game. He has been a dominant force in defence and his form over the years proves that it has not been a fluke this year and that he is comfortable at this level.
The English defender has averaged a rating of 7.04 or higher in each of the last five Premier League seasons respectively. This shows that he has consistently delivered high-quality performances for Burnley and that is why he would be a colossus for Newcastle at the back as he knows how to perform in the English top flight and would be able to slot straight into the team.
Therefore, supporters will be elated by the prospect of Tarkowski lining up week-in-week-out for the Magpies next season. He can be a colossus at the heart of the back four and improve Howe’s defence, as no Toon centre-back has averaged a higher rating than 6.98 this season.
