WHZ View: West Ham dodged a bullet with failed bid for Tarkowski
West Ham were heavily linked with a move for Burnley defender James Tarkowski in the transfer window but none of the Hammers’ bids met the Clarets’ valuation.
The defence was identified as a problem area by David Moyes and it seemed as though the English defender was his top target.
But the Irons were unwilling to stump up the reported £50million that Burnley were quoting for their prized asset [Daily Mail].
In the few months that have passed since West Ham failed in their hunt for Tarkowski, it is looking increasingly likely that the Hammers dodged a very expensive bullet.
Burnley currently sit 19th in the Premier League without a win this season and Tarkowski has been at the heart of their defence for most of their seven games.
He started the season injured as the Clarets’ lost their opening two league games but his return hasn’t drastically improved his sides form.
They have picked up two points in draws against Brighton and West Brom since Tarkowski’s return and frankly, that isn’t much of an achievement.
West Brom are also in the relegation zone and Brighton have been far from convincing this season so keeping a clean sheet against these sides should be seen as a necessity, not an achievement.
The stats confirm Tarkowski’s poor form. According to Wyscout, he hasn’t made a successful slide tackle in his last four games and in his last outing against Brighton he only won 25% of his defensive duels.
The 27-year-old was all over the place when his side lost 3-1 to Newcastle earlier this season. It was his first game of the season and he was run ragged by Allan Saint-Maximin for the Magpies’ first and failed to clear a cross that Callum Wilson scored from in the second half.
Meanwhile, West Ham have looked pretty solid at the back. Aside from the three first-half goals conceded against Spurs the Hammers’ defence looks settled.
Impressive clean sheets against Leicester and Wolves confirm that West Ham have plenty of defensive talent and the decision to not stump up £50 million for Tarkowski now looks to be the right one.
That’s not to say that Moyes shouldn’t be looking for a new defender in January but he certainly shouldn’t be forced into paying an extortionate fee for an average centre half.
In other West Ham news, we have ranked the top three Hammers moments at the London Stadium.