After committing himself to the club until 2028, James Tarkowski has declared that his ambition is to bring European football to Hill Dickinson Stadium. And the centre-back has insisted that Everton’s new 52,769 capacity home on the Mersey waterfront has “the best atmosphere” he’s ever played in.

The 32-year-old, who joined the Blues on a Bosman-style free transfer in the summer of 2022 when he became a free agent at Burnley, was due to come to the end of his initial three-year deal at the end of this season but he has now signed a contract extension for a further two years.

Tarkowski hasn’t missed a minute of Everton’s nine matches in all competitions so far this term having returned from surgery on a hamstring injured suffering against Manchester City on April 19, which ended his sequence of 109 consecutive starts for the club in the Premier League.

The run included the unbridled scenes of celebration after the Mancunian scoring a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser against Liverpool...