Newcastle United journalist Liam Kennedy has given his thoughts on James Tarkowski and a potential swoop by the club in the January transfer window.
Given the state of Newcastle’s defence this season, which currently sees them holding the second-worst record when it comes to goals conceded in the Premier League, it’s no surprise to see that they have been linked with a lot of defenders this January to address the issue.
One such name has been that of Tarkowski, who is currently in the final six months of his deal at Turf Moor, meaning this will be the last chance for Burnley to cash in on him, or he’ll be let go in the summer on a free transfer.
Speaking on a recent edition of NUFC Matters, Kennedy talked about what the Burnley defender’s future might look like, and hinted it’s looking more than likely that he won’t be moving this window, and that he will instead wait until the summer before deciding what club to move to.
He said: “The word I’ve been hearing on Tarkowski up until quite recently was that it’s more likely he leaves in the summer. It’s more likely that he leaves on a free in the summer and again assesses his options. But I think if Burnley were willing sellers, then Newcastle United are willing buyers when it comes to Tarkowski.”
TIF Thoughts on Liam Kennedy’s comments on James Tarkowski and Newcastle United…
Should Tarkowski be a priority for Newcastle?
Yes
No
Having already sold Chris Wood to Newcastle this window – although that was largely due to the fact Eddie Howe’s men triggered a release clause for the forward – it does seem rather unlikely that Burnley would willingly want to help out a fellow relegation rival by letting Tarkowski move this window.
He currently leads the active players at the club in terms of aerial duels won, blocks and clearances per game, ranks fourth in terms of interceptions and sixth in tackles (stats from WhoScored).
As Kennedy says, it’s down to whether or not Burnley are going to be ‘willing sellers’ this window, but given the circumstances and how influential Tarkowski is to them, it’s hard to see how they would be, especially if Newcastle are in the mix.
So this might be a transfer for Newcastle United to just move on from and hope that they’re in a position to sort out in the summer.
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