Everton have signed James Tarkowski on a free transfer – after his Burnley teammates expected him to be joining Aston Villa this summer.
The Toffees announced their first signing of the summer on Saturday with Tarkowski arriving to bolster Frank Lampard’s side.
Tarkowski has signed a four-year deal at Goodison Park and joins on a free transfer with his Burnley deal now over.
Tarkowski had been reluctant to sign a new Burnley deal given the interest in his signature from elsewhere.
Burnley’s relegation to the Championship secured Tarkowski’s exit and the defender has now picked Everton as his new club.
Everton have signed James Tarkowski
This is an important signing for Everton as they look to improve under Lampard.
Everton’s defence was a problem last season and Tarkowski will hopefully solidify things at the back.
Tarkowski will have to compete with the likes of Michael Keane, Yerry Mina, Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey, but the expectation is that he will start immediately.
The 29-year-old is even something of a coup for Everton given that he was also linked with the likes of Newcastle United and West Ham United.
The Athletic now claim that Tarkowski’s teammates at Burnley actually expected him to sign for Aston Villa this summer.
Villa showed a strong interest in signing Tarkowski and were willing to match his wage demands, but ended up splashing the cash on Sevilla’s Brazilian defender Diego Carlos.
Once Carlos completed his move to Villa Park, Everton quickly became the most likely destination for Tarkowski.
There was still talk of Tarkowski heading to Villa even after Carlos joined, but he has signed on the dotted line for Everton instead.
Villa may have bigger aspirations than Everton right now, but Tarkowski will hope to help turn things around at Goodison Park – and no doubt show that he is better off on Merseyside anyway.
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