Everton defender James Tarkowski would have been "perfect" for West Ham, according to journalist Paul Brown.

The east London club have targeted the 29-year-old in the past but watched him move to Goodison Park during the summer.

GiveMeSport Transfer Verdict

How has Tarkowski performed this season?

Tarkowski, who was the subject of three failed bids from West Ham back in 2020, has impressed in the current campaign.

Speaking recently about the 6 ft 1 Englishman and his team-mate Conor Coady, Everton manager Frank Lampard said (via BBC Sport): "They are a hugely important partnership for us and are setting good standards here. But you defend as a team and that's what we have worked on.

"Sometimes it takes time in training to work on stuff and feel the benefits. What we do have is a great spirit and organisation. We've worked very hard in training to be solid and try to have a good base when we don't have the ball."

Tarkowski joined Everton from Burnley on a free transfer back in July after his contract at Turf Moor expired.

What has Brown said about Tarkowski and West Ham?

Brown thinks Tarkowski would have been a good fit for David Moyes' side had he joined them instead of Everton.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "I think Tarkowski would have been perfect for West Ham and would have made a big difference to them.

"He would have slotted in quite nicely, but I think having gone in for him and not being able to make it happen in an earlier window, West Ham probably decided that ship had sailed."

Should West Ham have signed Tarkowski?

On a free transfer, it seemed like a bit of a no-brainer. Tarkowski, who is valued at around £20m by Transfermarkt, is a very experienced defender and is someone who the Hammers have tried to recruit before.

He has made over 200 appearances in the Premier League and has a couple of caps for the England national team.

Last season, the centre-back won 4.4 aerial duels per match, which was the second-highest average in the Clarets' squad (via WhoScored). He also made 1.7 blocks a game, topping all of his team-mates in that category.

The above shows that Tarkowski is a very capable defender, as well as what he could have brought to the London Stadium.

West Ham did at least manage to sign Germany international Thilo Kehrer during the summer and still have the likes of Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson, so missing out on Tarkowski is not the end of the world and should not define their season.