Burnley could reignite their previous interest in Craig Dawson if James Tarkowski is sold in this transfer window.
That is according to Sky Sports, who reported that the 30-year-old Watford defender could be back on the Clarets’ wish list depending on the future of their in-demand centre-back, for whom West Ham have had two bids rejected amid continuing interest from Leicester.
As per Sky Sports, Dawson had been of interest to Burnley last summer when he was a West Brom player, with Tarkowski being targeted by Leicester at the time as a potential successor to Harry Maguire.
Dawson, a veteran of 182 Premier League appearances, did not feature for the Hornets in their first league game under new manager Vladimir Ivic against Middlesbrough last Friday.
The Watford man has a remarkable scoring record for someone who has played as a defender for his whole career, netting 43 times in 371 matches (one goal per 8.63 games), and has scored a minimum of two league goals in each of his last six league campaigns.
He averaged more shots per game than Tarkowski in 2019/20 (0.9 to 0.6) and also used the ball more efficiently than his Clarets counterpart, with a passing success rate of 77.5% to the Burnley man’s 70.8%.
However, Tarkowski is stronger in the air, winning 5.2 headers per game compared to Dawson’s 3.5, and the 27-year-old also wins more tackles (1.7 to one) and interceptions per game (1.7 to 1.2) than the Watford centre-back.
The players’ respective statistics would suggest that Tarkowski is stronger defensively than Dawson, who is also two-and-a-half years older than the Burnley centre-back and coming towards the latter stages of his career.
The Watford man boasts plenty of top-flight experience, though, and can be a potent presence in the opponents’ penalty area. Also, with Sean Dyche operating off the joint-smallest squad in the Premier League, any newcomers who can be brought in would surely be appreciated.
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The preference would unsurprisingly be to keep Tarkowski, but if that proves impossible, then Burnley could do a lot worse than snaring Dawson as his replacement.
Burnley fans, should the Clarets consider going back in for Dawson? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!
