Everton defender James Tarkowski has praised teammate Jordan Pickford.
Tarkowski described the 29-year-old as being ‘everything you want’ from a keeper, stating that the England international is ‘demanding’ of his teammates.
Speaking with The Times, the Everton defender shared his belief that Pickford’s range of passing means he ‘could play outfield’ if he chose to.
Tarkowski said: “He annoys me a little bit, I tell him that.
He does talk a lot. I suppose it’s better than not talking at all. He’s demanding. He’s everything you want from a modern-day goalkeeper. He makes incredible match-winning saves, the manager calls it ‘saving the unsaveables’. The ones you’re expecting to go in, he saves those.
He’s also like another outfield player for us. If you watch us play, he steps in-between the two central centre halves and he’ll spray it round the pitch.
He’s got such an incredible range of passing. He could play outfield if he wanted. He wouldn’t want the running around.”
Pickford has been Everton’s best player for years and has kept the Blues afloat the last two seasons
Pickford’s performances for Everton over the past two seasons have arguably kept the Blues in the Premier League, with the England international putting in some memorable displays.
His penalty save at the King Power Stadium against James Maddison last season was a turning point in Everton’s fight for Premier League survival, with the Toffees staying up at Leicester City’s expense.
Manager Sean Dyche recently made the decision to have James Tarkowski replace Jordan Pickford as Everton’s vice-captain for the 2023/24 Premier League season, though the 29-year-old keeper remains perhaps the most vocal member of the starting XI.
The Everton keeper signed a renewed contract with the club back in February, keeping him at the Blues until 2027, with speculation over the past couple of years that Manchester United and Chelsea were interested in the 29-year-old.