View: Eric Dier no longer good enough for Tottenham as January exit potentially beckons
Eric Dier’s lengthy spell at Tottenham could come to an end in January.
Only Hugo Lloris and Ben Davies have been Tottenham players longer than Dier, who’s made 360 appearances in all competitions for the North London club since his arrival from Sporting CP in July 2014.
The 29-year-old hasn’t added to his appearance tally since Ange Postecoglou was hired as manager with the defender being named on the substitutes’ bench on just three occasions in the Premier League.
Now, Fabrizio Romano reports that with Dier’s contract coming to an end next summer, the 49-time England international could be on his way out of North London as soon as January.
Writing via his Daily Briefing on Thursday (19 October), Italian journalist Romano said: “Eric Dier is approaching the end of his contract and at the moment there are no talks over a new deal.
“A January move is a possibility for Dier, but it will depend on the proposals.
“Personally, I think the best way for both sides now is to try something new, Dier can certainly be a regular starter elsewhere, though I’m not currently aware of anything concrete with Roma, despite rumours.”
Dier seems finished at Tottenham – and it’s really not difficult to see why.
With Dier not playing a minute this season, Tottenham are top of the Premier League.
Last season, the Cheltenham-born enforcer played 42 times across all competitions as Spurs finished eighth in the Premier League, failed to qualify for Europe and crashed out of both cups against inferior sides.
Stats by Wyscout show that Dier’s replacement at centre-back, Micky van de Ven, has a higher success rate in defensive duels, loose ball duels and passing than Dier did last term in the Premier League.
Van de Ven has also won 80 per cent of the slide tackles he’s tried to win this season compared to Dier’s 20 per cent last term.
When it comes to interceptions and clearances, Dier trumps Van de Ven but that’s obviously down to the fact that Tottenham are playing better as a unit this term and the Netherlands international isn’t required to do as much defensive work as his predecessor at centre-half.
An issue that Dier has faced in North London is that no one has ever truly known his best position. Is he better as a centre-back or is he a better defensive midfielder?
It’s unlikely to be something that Postecoglou will get to the bottom of based on Romano’s report that no new contract offer has been made to Dier just yet.
He’s good enough to win a move to another Premier League club but clearly, he’s no longer good enough for a team chasing Champions League football.
In other Tottenham news, the club’s technical director, Johan Lange, is a big fan of one Manchester City player.