James Tarkowski believes he’s playing the best football of his career for Everton – while also heaping praise on manager Sean Dyche for the mentality he’s instilled at the Club. 

The Everton centre-back has been a mainstay in the Blues’ defence for almost the entirety of his time on Merseyside since signing for the Club in July 2022, playing all but one minute of the past two Premier League campaigns for the Toffees. 

This season, Tarkowski ranks first in the division for winning the most aerial duels, he also sits in the league’s top five for most interceptions, clearances and last-man tackles. 

Reflecting on his fine form in royal blue, the Everton defender said: “It’s a great opportunity to play for this club. I am super proud to represent them week in and week out. 

“For the manager to pick me and be part of this team is amazing. I feel like I am in my prime years. It takes a lot of time to get where I am mentally and physically. I love playing for this club, so long may it continue.”

Despite finishing the season with a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday, it was a strong end to the campaign for the Toffees, with that loss just the Blues' second from their final nine league matches of 2023/24.

As a result, Dyche’s men finished 15th in the table, though they would have been level with Crystal Palace in 10th had it not been for the points deduction handed down by a Premier League commission for two separate breaches of profit and sustainability rules.  

“[Recent weeks] showed our progress and mentality,” explained Tarkowski. “We got to the stage where we got safe, and we could have easily put our boots away and put the flip flops on and had a stroll around for a few weeks. 

“But that’s now what we demand of ourselves, we put in a win and a draw since we guaranteed our safety and then we went to Arsenal and played well. 

“It was just a shame we couldn’t get a point in the end.”

On Dyche’s influence in terms of overcoming the setbacks throughout a tumultuous campaign, Tarkowski added: “He puts mentality before anything. He wants a strong resilient group, togetherness and a team that gives it all. 

“We have seen a lot of that all season, it’s what the manager demands. That’s his first priority beyond anything. This season has all been about the mentality of the group because there have been a lot of tests. We have stuck at it and put a fair few points on the board.”

Everton’s relative success this season has been built on strong defensive foundations, with only league runners-up Arsenal managing to better the Blues’ 13 league clean sheets. 

While Tarkowski accepts improving the team’s attacking threat remains a key target, he believes that defensive solidity is a platform in which to keep building on next season. 

“If you keep clean sheets, you aren’t going to lose games,” he said. “It’s a great start, we obviously want to be an attacking team as well and cause teams problems the other way. I think that base is super important, as a team, not just the back four and Jordan, but as a whole team. 

“We have been pretty good at it all season and we are going to continue that into next season because it is a great base to build from.”