Tottenham Hotspur journalist Alasdair Gold has been discussing Eric Dier and what his future at the club might look like.
The 28-year-old has been a very regular member of the Spurs side this season, racking up 31 appearances in all competitions, with 26 of them being Premier League starts.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that his place is safe moving forward, especially with reports emerging that the club are looking to add to the middle of defence during the upcoming summer transfer window.
Speaking during a Q&A on his YouTube channel (5:43) when asked by a fan whether or not the club would sign someone in order to offer him competition, Gold seemed to hint that competition might not be the thing that Dier needs, as he may very well be in Conte’s plans going forward regardless:
“I think his prospects are probably pretty good. Conte is a big fan, I can’t imagine Eric Dier is going anywhere. I do wonder whether there might even be a new deal involved at some point as well. Because he has a big fan in Conte, obviously, we’ll have to see what happens with Conte in the summer, and that could change whatever comes next. But at this moment in time, Eric Dier’s a big part of his plans.”
TIF Thoughts on Alasdair Gold’s comments on Eric Dier at Tottenham Hotspur…
Dier has been something of an enigma this season at Tottenham.
He has put up impressive numbers in some areas, ranking in the top five at the club for aerial duels won with 2 per game, clearances with 3.7, and blocks with 0.9, but at the same time he is only averaging 0.3 tackles per game in the Premier League, which ranks joint 20th in the team and 0.7 interceptions which is joint 11th (via WhoScored).
So there are clearly some areas that he will need to improve on if Spurs are to take that next step forward as a club and turn from outsiders for the Champions League to perennial contenders once again like they were for a long time under Mauricio Pochettino.
But if he is indeed a favourite with Conte as Gold hints at, then maybe he thinks that he can be the man to turn him into that player, so a long-term deal to give him the chance to mould him even further can’t be ruled out.
Interestingly, there has previously been no reports suggesting that Eric Dier is set for a new deal or even an extension, so this would be quite unexpected news for Spurs fans should it come true. Frank McAvennie even slammed the player and questioned why Spurs ‘haven’t replaced him’, with Paul Robinson even stating that he’s not top level and isn’t surprised he’s not getting into the England squad.
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