James Tarkowski is the ONLY outfield player to feature in every minute of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign… with the England international playing a crucial role as Everton beat the drop on the final day of the season
James Tarkowswki finished the season as the only outfield player to complete every single minute of the 2022-23 campaign.
The Everton defender remained an ever-present as the Toffees once more beat the drop to survive in the top-flight for another season.
But it was not just for the sake of consistency that Tarkowski continued to be picked, having ended the season with the most blocks per game (2.1), sixth-highest clearances per game (5.2) and was joint-fifth for aerials won (3.2).
As well as his defensive efforts, the England international managed a goal and assist, too, which amounted to four points won for the Toffees that would have proven pivotal in the club’s fight against relegation.
In total, Tarkowski racked up an impressive 3,420 minutes for his side, with those coming under both Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche in a rollercoaster 2022-23 at Goodison Park.
James Tarkowski was the only outfield player to finish the season having featured in every minute of the campaign
He finished with the second-most headed clearances and an aerial duel success rate of 71 per cent
Tarkowski also contributed a goal and assist that amounted to four points that would have seen his side relegated
In fact, it is the second time that Tarkowski has managed the feat, doing so previously under Dyche at Burnley in 2019-20.
The defender only arrived at Goodison last summer from the aforementioned Clarets – who sealed their own return to the Premier League in impressive fashion under Vincent Kompany this term – on a free transfer.
Tarkowski becomes the first Everton defender to play every minute of a season since club legend Leighton Baines managed to do so in 2012-13 under now-West Ham boss David Moyes.
The Everton centre back ended his impressive individual campaign with 196 clearances, a duel success rate of 61 per cent, 51 interceptions, and won 51 per cent of his attempted tackles and 71 per cent of aerial battles.
He ended the term in second overall for clearances and headed clearances (119) to Brentford star Ethan Pinnock in both categories.
Former team-mate and Bees defender Ben Mee tied with Max Kilman as the second-highest blocker in the league, but both fell some way short of Tarkowski’s staggering tally of 78 on 42.
While the 30-year-old stands alone in terms of his minutes this term, his team-mate Alex Iwobi was also a regular feature in the side.
The Nigerian international managed a similarly respectable 3,382 minutes – missing just 18 all season, landing him a place in the top five in the league.
Gabriel Magalhaes missed just nine minutes and Harry Kane was absent for only 11, while Aaron Ramsdale matched Tarkowski’s tally
David de Gea featured in every minute of the season on his way to winning the golden glove award for the most clean sheets
Brentford stopper David Raya completed a quartet of players to feature in all 3,420 minutes
Iwobi’s former employers, Arsenal, saw one of their own feature in the top five as well with Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes.
The centre back managed all but nine minutes of his side’s heart-breaking campaign that saw them narrowly miss out on a first Premier League title in 19 years.
Magalhaes’ north London nemesis Harry Kane played a predictably prolific role at Tottenham, missing just 11 minutes of their ultimately miserable season, managing 30 goals that would have stolen the headlines if not for one Erling Haaland.
Of fellow goalkeepers, however, Aaron Ramsdale of Arsenal, Manchester United NO 1 David De Gea, and Brentford’s David Raya also racked up 3,420 minutes to finish in joint-top spot with Tarkowski.
