Everton had a rather significant previous summer transfer window in terms of the number of deals that took place at the Merseyside club during that period.
In addition to picking up £60m from Tottenham Hotspur to sell Richarlison, the Toffees spent money to bring players in such as Amadou Onana, James Garner and Idrissa Gana Gueye, among others.
However, one deal that Everton were involved in that not only saw the club not have to spend any money on but has already shown to have been a good bit of business from them is their move for James Tarkowski.
Signed on a free transfer from Burnley, the defender has played the full 90 minutes in all six of Everton’s Premier League games this season, showing how important he is for Frank Lampard.
In those appearances, the 29-year-old has made more blocks (14) and clearances (50) than any other Everton player, as well as having the second-highest number of successful tackles (8) and interceptions (14).
This highlights how imperious the centre-back has been for the Toffees in defence and is a big reason why they haven’t lost any of their four previous league games.
His overall performances have earned the Englishman a solid season rating of 7.05/10, making him the highest-rated outfield Everton player according to WhoScored.
Hailed in the past by Burnley journalist Andy Jones for his “unbelievable” defensive attributes, it’s clear that Tarkowski has been a key player for Lampard so far this season.
Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that securing a free transfer for the defender has been a very smart move from Everton, who are clearly seeing the benefits of signing him on the pitch.
Moving forward, with the Toffees taking on Arsenal at the weekend for their next Premier League fixture, the former Burnley star will have to be at the top of his game if he wants to stop the league leaders from picking up a victory.
