Ex-Spurs Scout: ‘Something has gone on’ between Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou and Eric Dier
Tottenham News is delighted to welcome aboard our brilliant new columnist Bryan King, the former goalkeeper who spent six years as a senior scout at Spurs and 28 years in total in first-team scouting roles. Bryan also spent eight years on Everton’s recruitment team and 11 years scouting at Aston Villa across two different spells.
Ex-Spurs scout Bryan King believes “something has gone on” between Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou and defender Eric Dier after the Australian’s answer in his pre-match press conference.
Dier was left out during the 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa last Sunday (26 November), despite being the only available centre-back available at the club. When asked if he would be included against Manchester City, Postecoglou’s answer was clear.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to last season’s Premier League champions on Sunday (3 December), the Australian was asked if he was tempted to bring Dier in to help deal with the aerial threat of Erling Haaland, to which he responded “No” (Football London, 1 December).
While speaking to Tottenham News, King explained that Postecoglou’s stern answer has led him to believe there is a deeper-rooted issue at play.
“Obviously something has gone on here between Dier and Postecoglou. This is clearly about something more than just Dier’s ability, it must be, and I think he will be another player on his way in January by the sound of things,” he said.
“We don’t know what has gone on here. Yes, he has played two games and lost those two games, but it was hardly his fault, so something must be happening behind the scenes to explain why Postecoglou is leaving him out.
“He is clearly not a fan of Dier and I believe there are a few others who he is not a fan of. It would be interesting to hear Postecoglou’s view on whether he would go out and buy Dier if he was at another club because I am confident the answer would be no.
“I would love to know what has gone on behind the scenes because it is definitely about more than just Dier’s performance levels.
“Dier has been a regular for Tottenham and he has played for England, but I have always had question marks over him as a top player.”
In other Tottenham news, King has been impressed by one Tottenham player who he has described as a “breath of fresh air.”