Some West Ham United fans have been mulling over the potential of signing Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski as David Moyes reportedly plans changes in the Irons backline.
Reports by The Sun have suggested Moyes is planning to rebuild his Irons side in the summer transfer window with the arrival of fresh, young legs that will add some much-needed pace to his squad.
But a few big-name Hammers will have to be sold in order to free up funds with West Ham expected to have a slender budget to play with, leading to suggestions Moyes may place Fabian Balbuena on the chopping block.
Depriving the squad of one of Moyes’ more-often used centre-backs would leave the Irons needing a new name for the role, with only Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna starting more Premier League games (29 each) than Balbuena (13) this season.
Diop has also been faced with growing speculation over his future at West Ham, with Football.London reporting that the final games of the season are pivotal for the Frenchman to prove himself after a drastic downturn in form.
Tarkowski has been a mainstay of Burnley’s line-up this term with boss Sean Dyche calling on the two-time England international to start all 37 of the Clarets’ top-flight fixtures, while handing him the captain’s armband on three occasions.
A move for the 27-year-old would not come cheap, however, as it was reported in January amid mounting interest from Liverpool that Burnley would demand £50million – most likely more than West Ham would be able to afford in the upcoming window.
Some Irons supporters are not afraid to have dreams, however, as some have vocalised their hopes of seeing Tarkowski at the London Stadium next season after he averaged 1.7 successful tackles from 2.3 attempts per 90 minutes in the league this term, along with 1.6 interceptions, 5.4 clearances, 1.7 blocks and won 5.2 of 7.1 aerial duels, according to WhoScored data.
Tarkowski would be my dream CB
— West Ham Central (@WestHam_Central) July 19, 2020
I have said this for a few months
— jaymo (@JaymoWHUFC3) July 19, 2020
What a centre back should be
— Billy Mason (@billymason_23) July 19, 2020
Take him, McNeil and Pope tbf https://t.co/wEvEeFqMcK
— Liam Casey (@LiamCaseyX) July 19, 2020
It is not only the transfer fee Burnley are likely to demand that has some West Ham fans reluctant to aspire to sign Tarkowski, with a few suggesting the defender may be afraid of moving to east London with the Clarets looking more likely to challenge for Europe next term.
Burnley are sitting comfortably in mid-table heading toward the final matchday of the season having won 15 of their 37 games and trail Tottenham Hotspur by just four points.
Nah, why would you leave a club challenging for Europe to go to a team fighting to stay up, unless your offering silly wages there’s no incentive
— __Caulay (@__Caulaywhu) July 19, 2020
Class player but we have no chance of signing him
— Jon Allen (@jonathanallen97) July 19, 2020
Tarkowski’s style of play has also led some West Ham fans to reply to their fellow supporter saying why they would not want the 27-year-old at the London Stadium.
For some, the centre-half is too rough having committed 48 fouls in the Premier League this season and been shown 10 yellow cards.
Not my cup of tea. Nasty piece of work
— Tony Pezzolesi (@TonyHammer61) July 19, 2020