Burnley's intimidating defence last season in the Championship was one major factor behind why Scott Parker's men sealed automatic promotion on 100 points.
Whilst the Clarets did score a reasonable 69 strikes across the 46-game marathon, they amazingly only gave up 16 goals across that same period, culminating in the Lancashire outfit losing just two second-tier contests all season long.
scott parker
Burnley have been known to be a well-drilled machine in this regard for many a year, with Sean Dyche the first notable manager to make the Clarets a hard-to-beat unit when he was situated in the Turf Moor dug-out.
Throughout his well-known stint at the Clarets, Dyche regularly called upon the likes of James Tarkowski to ensure opposition attackers knew they were in for a tough fight when attempting to break down Burnley's rock-solid defence.
Tarkowski's defensive heroics at Burnley
Now lining up for Everton at 32 years of age, Tarkowski has Burnley to thank for initially kickstarting his career at the very top.
In total, the imposing veteran would go on to make 219 appearances for the Clarets, with his reputation throughout his stay at the club centring on his no-nonsense approach aerially.
James-Tarkowski-1
His breakout season in the Premier League for Burnley would come about during the 2018/19 campaign, with the centre-back scoring three goals when putting his towering 6-foot-1 frame to good use, alongside winning a ridiculous 7.8 duels per league clash.
No longer at Turf Moor, he is certainly ageing like a fine wine. He secured ten clean sheets in league action across 2024/25 and most famously scored that thunderbolt of a goal in the dying embers of Goodison Park's last Merseyside derby.
He's a man for the big occasion and as Parker and Co go about strengthening their ranks, they'll certainly be hoping to find their next Tarkowski.
Burnley's "outstanding" new Tarkowski
Unfortunately, it looks unlikely that Burnley will be able to keep all the components of their robust defence together past this transfer window, with CJ Egan-Riley and Maxime Esteve both reportedly heading for the exit door.
Therefore, a new, strong defender will surely be high up the Clarets' shopping list, with rumours coming to the surface now from journalist Graeme Bailey suggesting 6-foot-4 brute Chris Mepham be on Parker's radar as they aim to add numbers at the back.
Burnley are already well aware of how tricky a defender Mepham can be to get the better of, having clashed with him last season when he was out on loan with eventual playoff winners Sunderland.
The Welshman stood out as a powerful centre-back throughout that loan spell, and with plenty of Premier League experience in the tank at 61 top-flight games and counting, he could be just what Burnley desire in trying to land an up-to-date Tarkowski.
Mepham's league numbers for Sunderland (24/25)
Stat (* = per game)
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Touches*
Accurate passes*
Ball recoveries*
Clearances*
Total duels won*
Stats by Sofascore
His similarities to Tarkowski are even more striking when glancing at the table above, with Mepham both a defensive option that is comfortable with the ball at his feet and joining in with attacks, but also a figure who will valiantly throw himself into duels for the cause, like the ex-Burnley captain.
Black Cats skipper Dan Neil would even herald Mepham as "outstanding" for his brave efforts during Sunderland's promotion story, with Parker hopeful he could make a similarly quick impact at the heart of the Clarets' defence if signed.
Chris-Mepham-Sunderland
Burnley won't want to just roll back the years in winning themselves a gritty defender like Tarkowski, however.
Even more so, the Lancashire underdogs will pray they can become a Premier League regular again, with Mepham joining potentially strengthening their chances of immediately staving off the drop.
Burnley's Maxime Esteve celebrates after the match Related
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Burnley would immediately bounce back from Maxime Esteve's potential departure by snapping up this Premier League-calibre warrior.