Everton today announced that James Tarkowski has signed a new two-year contract extension that should see him stay at the club through to the summer of 2028. The tough-tackling centrehalf, who turns 33
next month, was set to see his contract expire at the end of the ‘24-25 season, but could stay on through to retirement with the Toffees.
Tarkowski joined the club from relegated Burnley in the summer of 2022, and since then has only missed a handful of games. His ironman run was only broken last season when he sustained a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the final five games of the campaign. Before that he had made 111 consecutive Premier League appearances, which was the longest active streak of any outfield player then, and the fourth-longest in Premier League history.
With club captain Seamus Coleman in and out of the starting lineup, Tarkowski has worn the captain’s armband in every game he has featured in, scoring four goals and three assists in the 128 appearances he’s made for the Blues, with none more important nor memorable than the late equalizer in the final ever Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park last season.
Speaking to evertontv after signing his new deal, Tarky (as he’s popularly known) talked about what it meant to him to stay on and where he saw the club going under David Moyes.
“I’m super excited and proud to be an Everton player and to continue this journey.
“It’s been a crazy few years with some big lows and some massive highs. We’ve managed to get through those tough times and hopefully now we’re on to more positive and exciting times ahead.
“I think the intention has been set out from the start of this season.
“I’ve loved every minute so far of working under the manager [David Moyes]. He has made it clear where we’re going with this club. The results and performances have really improved in his time here and it does seem to be going in one direction.
“The reason I’ve signed is because I want to be a part of that. Now it’s up to us as players to get on board and take us in that direction.”
The central defender went on to add that his fitness is better than ever now after enduring another rocky start to the campaign as he was still rehabilitating from his injury late last season.
“The injury I got at the end of last season was the first real injury I’ve had in a very, very long time. So that took a lot of hard work to get back from but, yes, I want to be reliable and I pride myself on that. I want to be able to be relied upon all of the time.
“There have been times when I’ve had to play through injuries, but most lads do that. You have to do it. I want to put another big run of games together now.
“I’m experienced and I know my own game well. I know how to play and how to get the best out of myself. And then I also want to be a leader, not just on a matchday, but also in and around the training ground – guiding people, helping people and just helping this team get better.”
As far as ambitions go, Tarkowski wants to play European football before he hangs up his boots.
“It’s always been an ambition of mine to play European football. I had a brief spell with Burnley in the qualifiers but we didn’t make it to the group stages, so I want to get there.
“It’s the manager’s goal, it’s our goal as a team and, so far, we’ve started pretty well. Of course, it could have been better but we’ve had a decent start and we’re definitely striving to get into those European spots and bring European football to our new stadium.”
While no particulars from the contract were revealed, it will be interesting to know if he will be taking a pay cut to his £100,ooo per week wages as the club’s fourth-highest paid player,
Everton still have a number of key players whose contracts are all up at the end of this season. With Tarkowski’s immediate future sorted, Paddy Boyland in The Athletic writes that the club will now turn their focus to James Garner and Vitaliy Mykolenko. Idrissa Gana Gueye’s deal also expires this term with an option for a one-year extension which will likely be triggered given how well he’s still playing, while Coleman should be retiring when his contract ends next summer.
