MX23RW : Friday, April 26 21:05:42| >> :60:20:20:

James Tarkowski features in Burnley friendly amid West Ham interest

James Tarkowski features in Burnley friendly amid West Ham interest
© Reuters
West Ham are eager to readdress the balance of their squad after Grady Diangana's departure.

West Ham target James Tarkowski played for Burnley in their 4-1 win over Hearts in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

The centre-back had missed the Clarets' midweek clash with Preston due to a "minor knock" but was back for Sean Dyche's side.

Burnley played two matches at their Barnfield training ground with first-team members split up and Tarkowski faced Hearts alongside Ashley Westwood and James Rodriguez while the likes of Dwight McNeil and Chris Wood were up against Mansfield.

He was involved despite attracting interest from Premier League rivals West Ham, who are eager to readdress the balance of their squad.

James Tarkowski, right, in action for Burnley against West Ham last season
James Tarkowski, right, in action for Burnley against West Ham last season (Justin Setterfield/NMC Pool)

Tarkowski, who has played twice for England, is a target for the Hammers, but reports of a £20million bid are wide of the mark, the PA news agency understands.

West Ham are prepared to spend more than that on the centre-back, who has two years left to run on his deal after he agreed a contract extension in January 2018.

David Moyes saw his transfer fund boosted on Friday when winger Grady Diangana left the club to join newly promoted West Brom.

It was a move which did not go down positively with fans or skipper Mark Noble, who said on Twitter: "As captain of this football club I'm gutted, angry and sad that Grady has left, great kid with a great future!!!!!"

Fellow midfielder Jack Wilshere also hinted at his unhappiness following the decision to allow the academy graduate to depart the London Stadium.

He said in a comment on Diangana's Instagram page: "Go and do your thing in a club that respects you. Big player with a big future."

It did not stop Noble and Wilshere being included by Moyes in the West Ham squad to play Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Hammers captain was part of the starting XI for the friendly while ex-Arsenal midfielder Wilshere had to contend with a place on the bench.

Grady Diangana made his debut for West Ham against Macclesfield in the Carabao Cup back in September 2018, but was never a regular at the London Stadium
Grady Diangana made his debut for West Ham against Macclesfield in the Carabao Cup back in September 2018, but was never a regular at the London Stadium (Daniel Hambury/PA)

One-time England Under-21 international Diangana scored eight goals in 30 appearances for West Brom last season to help them secure promotion.

Chances at his boyhood club have been harder to come by, though, and in the statement to confirm his departure, West Ham admitted the decision to sell had been made "reluctantly" due to competition in his position.

Moyes has Felipe Anderson, Michail Antonio, Pablo Fornals, Robert Snodgrass and Andriy Yarmolenko as options in wide areas and the Scottish manager will hope Diangana's transfer can help bring in a new defender.

ID:413082: cacheID:413082:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7531:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Mykola Matviyenko pictured for Shakhtar Donetsk in November 2019
Read Next:
Leeds, Wolves interested in Mykola Matviyenko?
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
10am
Bublik
Carballes Baena
10am
Marozsan
Cerundolo
10am
Musetti
Seyboth Wild
10am
Paul
Klein
10am
Rublev
Bagnis
10am
Andreeva
Noskova
10am
Bronzetti
Rybakina
10am
Garcia
Wang
10am
Pavlyuchenkova
Saville
11.30am
Altmaier
Fils
11.30am
Martin Etcheverry
Shapovalov
11.30am
Alexandrova
Krueger
11.30am
Bucsa
Kasatkina
11.30am
Dolehide
Kalinina
11.30am
Jimenez Kasintseva
Paolini
11.30am
Linette
Sabalenka
1pm
Baez
Van Assche
1pm
Hurkacz
Draper
1pm
Bejlek
Kalinskaya
1pm
Cristian
Krejcikova
1pm
Kostyuk
Sherif
2pm
Zheng
Putintseva
2.30pm
Humbert
Van De Zandschulp
2.30pm
Darderi
Fritz
2.30pm
Boulter
Montgomery
3pm
Shevchenko
Alcaraz
3.30pm
Vondrousova
Rogers
4pm
Griekspoor
Daniel
4pm
Munar
Struff
5pm
Navone
Rune
7pm
Coric
Zverev
8.30pm
Collins
Danilovic
11.30am
Shang
Davidovich Fokina
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!