A potential move for James Tarkowski could be the perfect test of Everton's strategic review, as discussed on the latest episode of our Royal Blue podcast.
The Blues have been linked with a move for the centre-back over the course of the last few weeks after his contract with Burnley expired at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. That position is one that could be intriguing over the course of the summer - with uncertainty remaining over the futures of some and clear improvement needed.
In our latest podcast host Connor O'Neill was joined by Adam Jones and Joe Thomas to discuss a potential Everton move for Tarkowski, whether he would improve the side, and the pitfalls the club must be aware of if they are to enter a negotiation process.
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Connor: One player who has been linked with the Blues is James Tarkowski. Everton fans have been discussing at length the centre-back conundrum the club faces this summer.
Is he someone you'd like to see the club move for? Someone who'd improve Everton's back line?
Adam: Oh he improves the back line, I certainly think that. I think his on-the-ball talents are a little underrated - people see him as a, for want of a better likeness, a Michael Keane who will defend his own area and head the ball away.
But I think his passing on the ball is very underrated. So if Everton are able to unlock that side of him he could be a very worthwhile addition.
He showed towards the back end of last season that he's capable of playing in a three-at-the-back as well as a pair. We don't know the direction Lampard is going to take this into the future so it might be worthwhile to have centre-backs who can play in both moulds.
It's a free transfer at the end of the day. A lot of people are talking about the wages involved - we've seen a wide range of reported weekly wages that are apparently on the table depending on who you get your news from.
But I think realistically, if you offer him a two-year contract, it's not a big outlay. For somebody who you imagine wouldn't take time to settle in, he's a bit of a leader at the back which is something Everton need all over, his injury record is strong as well.
If Frank Lampard wants to make this squad robust, James Tarkowski is a good step in my opinion. In essence I think he'd be a smart signing.
It depends what happens with the other centre-backs, I would still suggest Everton would need another incoming on top of Tarkowski if they did bring him in. But I think him bolstering those options at the back is almost in the realms of a no-brainer to me.
Connor: Joe, are you on the same hymn sheet?
Joe: To a certain extent. There's no doubt he improves Everton, what Lampard need to do as quickly as possible is improve Everton as much as they can while taking as few risks as they can.
Tarkowski is someone who's proven in the Premier League, he's in a position Everton need to strengthen, and he's obviously on a free. Where I slightly disagree is that I think this is the first big test of the strategic review and seeking more value in players.
I think that while obviously there's no transfer fee it gives you more room to pay his wages, some of the figures that have been bandied around could amount to £5m-a-year. He's going to want at least a two-year contract, and all of a sudden you're committing yourself to £10m plus.
So it's a good test. The interest is genuine and there are lots of compelling reasons for that, but I also think that what Everton need to do is show that they've broken away from the past under the Moshiri regime - they can't just say "name your price, there's no transfer fee, we'll pay whatever it is".
They shouldn't get involved in a bidding war, they need to have the sense to be able to take a step back and think about whether this is necessary and truly benefitting us. Part of this will be based on the interest in other centre-backs, I'm sure they'd be interested to listening to offers for some of them.
Tarkowski definitely improves them, but they shouldn't get themselves into a situation where players and agents are naming their price. He's in the older bracket, they already have players on too-long contracts at the wrong end of their careers, they don't want to commit to Tarkowski on excessive wages and then end up recreating the cycle for a couple of years down the line.
