According to The Athletic, Steven Gerrard spent a considerable amount of time trying to bring Everton defender James Tarkowski to Aston Villa.
Aston Villa wanted James Tarkowski
Well, the Villans already raided Goodison Park for Lucas Digne back in January, after completing a £25m deal for the France international.
Gerrard then spent what The Athletic describe as a large amount of time trying to convince Tarkowski to join him in the Midlands, only for Aston Villa to pursue Diego Carlos instead – the Brazilian was signed from Sevilla for £26m.
The England international eventually joined Everton on a free transfer after leaving Burnley, and has been one of the signings of the summer due to his consistently solid displays for the Toffees.
In regards to Carlos, the South American made just two Premier League appearances before rupturing his Achilles’ tendon midway though August, ruling him out of action for six months.
As a result, Gerrard was then forced to turn to Tyrone Mings, the man he had just replaced with Carlos and also stripped of the captaincy, preferring to hand that responsibility to John McGinn.
Rather ironically, it was Mings who then sealed Gerrard’s fate with an own goal to round off the scoring in Fulham’s 3-0 win on Thursday.
Aston Villa should’ve targeted James Tarkowski
By the sounds of what The Athletic have written, Aston Villa ignored the fact Gerrard wanted Tarkowski, and proceeded to make a far more expensive addition in Carlos against his will.
That always sets a dangerous precedent, and we believe those in the Villa Park boardroom should have listened to what the 42-year-old wanted and signed the £70,000-a-week man.
Tarkowski – unlike Carlos – boasts huge amounts of Premier League experience with 205 top-flight appearances to his name, and he has already helped transform Everton alongside Conor Coady.
Who knows? Had Aston Villa given Gerrard the England international instead of Carlos, things may have turned out differently.
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