Everton pursuit of James Tarkowski is first big recruitment test at Goodison Park
Liverpool Echo journalist Joe Thomas believes Everton transfer target James Tarkowski is a player that goes against the club’s recruitment policy.
It was revealed on Thursday [Daily Mail, 2 June], that the Toffees are confident of securing a deal for the 29-year-old defender.
However, Thomas believes that signing the Burnley man goes against the Toffees’ newly pledged recruitment model.
Talking on the Royal Blue podcast, he said: “I think this is the first big test of the strategic review and seeking more value in players.
“What Everton need to do is show that they’ve broken away from the past under the [Farhad] Moshiri regime.”
He added: “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.”
Doesn’t add up
With Everton and Frank Lampard looking to change the recruitment culture at the club, the signing of Tarkowski doesn’t quite make sense.
Even though the Burnley man will be a free transfer, his wages and contract demands could drag the Toffees back into a poor recruitment model that hasn’t been successful for them in the past.
Everton should be looking to recruit younger players who could potentially provide the Toffees with an opportunity to sell them for profit.
Signing a 29-year old who will demand big wages and provide no sell-on value doesn’t seem a progressive move from Lampard.
If the Toffees don’t get involved a bidding war surrounding the defender’s wages then a move could be viable.
It is crucial that Lampard doesn’t pursue too many older signings in the same mould as Tarkowski.
The Goodison Park faithful will be hoping for some more progressive and younger signings to make their way through the door in the coming weeks.
In other Everton news, the Blues could be forced into a big sale as Alisher Usmanov’s name is mentioned in a transfer report.
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