Tarkowski joined Everton on a free transfer in July 2022 and has made 128 appearances in all competitions, scoring four times. He is also now the Toffees' vice-captain.

Since arriving on Merseyside more than three years ago, only Jordan Pickford, with 120 caps, has appeared more times for Everton in the Premier League than Tarkowski, who has 116.

Having left it late against Crystal Palace to preserve its unbeaten start to life at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Tarkowski is aiming to push Everton to European qualification.

"It's been a crazy few years with some big lows and some massive highs," he said. 

"We've managed to get through those tough times and, hopefully, now we're on to more positive and exciting times ahead.

"It's always been an ambition of mine to play European football. I had a brief spell with Burnley in the qualifiers, but we didn't make it to the group stages, so I want to get there.

"It's the manager's goal, it's our goal as a team and, so far, we've started pretty well.

"Of course, it could have been better, but we've had a decent start, and we're definitely striving to get into those European spots and bring European football to our new stadium."

Everton most recently competed in Europe in the 2017-2018 season, when it was eliminated in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League.

Tarkowski has started all seven of Everton's Premier League games this season, with David Moyes's team eighth in the standings with 11 points so far.