Exclusive: Darren Bent makes big West Ham transfer claim after £35m reveal
James Tarkowski would reject a move to West Ham because the club are not as stable as Burnley, according to Darren Bent.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider assistant editor Russell Edge, the former Spurs forward also said he was unsure how good the 27-year-old is and that Burnley’s system may bring the best out of him.
This site revealed last week that the Clarets had slapped a £35million price tag on the defender after West Ham’s bid of £28million plus add-ons was rejected.
Hammers boss David Moyes confirmed on Friday that the club had made a “couple of offers” for the England international.
Asked by Football Insider whether Tarkowski would improve West Ham, Bent said: “By all accounts it doesn’t sound like he wants to go there and with Tarkowski, it’s a bit of a strange one, I’m not sure if it’s him or the system.
“What I mean by that is, when he plays in that Burnley system alongside Ben Mee and Nick Pope, they’ve got a little triangle there, where they all know what each other is doing.
“When him and Ben Mee play centre half it suits them so well, but individually I’m not sure how good Tarkowski is.
“What I do like about him is he takes pride in defending and that is a skill that most defenders nowadays don’t really want because they want to be able to pass it, they want to play and look good bringing the ball out and dribbling.
“He wants to put his head in where it hurts, he wants to clear the ball. He takes real pride in the fundamentals of defending, so I like Tarkowski.
“But I don’t think West Ham will be able to get him because why would you leave somewhere like Burnley where you know the manager, know where you’re going, to West Ham where anything could happen.”
In other West Ham news, a top pundit has delivered a shock Hammers prediction despite unpopular exit.