Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier is excited to play under new manager Ange Postecoglu and wants to stay and fight for his place next season.
How long has Eric Dier been at Tottenham?
Since the Englishman joined Spurs from Portuguese side Sporting CP for a bargain €5.00m (£4m) in July 2014, Dier has had a very mixed bag of a career in north London.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, the Kent-born player grew into a promising defensive midfielder in the division, forming a "monstrous" partnership with Victor Wanyama and being the perfect defensive counterpart for Mousa Dembele.
Dier was a crucial part of the Tottenham side that finished second in the Premier League in the 2016/17 season, making 36 appearances in the league and scoring two goals.
Towards the end of Pochettino's tenure at Spurs, the English international began to transition to centre-back, where he has played since Jose Mourinho's stint at the club.
Since the 2019/20 season, the former Everton youth player has made 132 appearances for the north London outfit at the heart of the defence, in addition to 10 appearances at centre-half for England.
It's not been plain sailing since the transition for Dier, with him making a number of high-profile mistakes, most notably last season against Liverpool and Brentford, and receiving plenty of criticism from fans, journalists, and pundits alike, with journalist Ryan Taylor stating earlier this year that Dier is a "very poor" defender.
However, every manager that comes through the door at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium seems to consistently pick the Englishman, so he must be doing something right to keep the support of elite managers such as Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
Speaking on the Last Word on Spurs podcast, Sky Sports editor and journalist Lyall Thomas revealed that Dier intends to stay and fight for his place this season under new boss Postecoglu amid reports suggesting he could potentially leave:
"I think Dier will stay, as I understand it that is absolutely right that he does want to stay and fight for his place and play under Ange and I think Dier could still be a useful player for Spurs."
Will Eric Dier play for Tottenham Hotspur next season?
It will be interesting to see if Dier plays as much next season as he has done in previous campaigns due to a number of factors.
Spurs look set to attack the market in search of at least one centre-back addition this summer, with reports linking them to names such as Micky Van de Ven, Edmond Tapsoba, and Marc Guehi. All three options that have been heavily linked play on the left side of defence, which is the position that the 29-year-old looked set to take up this season as Argentine defender Cristian Romero appears to be the first choice on the right-hand side.
Another issue that faces Dier is a potential system change. New boss Postecoglou plays a very open and expansive style of football with a higher defensive line, which is a stark contrast from the football that Spurs have become known for in recent years. The Australian manager also prefers to set up with a back four rather than a back five, which is a defensive shape that Dier has very rarely played in, with both club and country opting for the five defenders in recent seasons
The former Sporting man has come through adversity and fought his way back into the England squad last year, and you could easily see him doing it again and starting ahead of the new signings. However, this is shaping up to be his toughest test yet when considering all the factors going against him.
