Tottenham’s new signing raises questions about Eric Dier’s future
Eric Dier may lose his place in Tottenham’s starting XI
Tottenham fans are universally celebrating the club’s signing of Ajax defender Davinson Sanchez. The talented Colombian is Spurs’ first signing of the summer and figures to be a huge boost to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. The one man who might not be celebrating his arrival in North London is Tottenham star Eric Dier.
Daniel Levy has finally managed to secure Sanchez’s signature for a club record £42 million after protracted negotiations with Ajax. Ultimately, his arrival at Spurs likely will see the club transition to a back three. That would allow Sanchez to join fellow Ajax alums Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld in the starting XI.
The move to a 3-4-3 on a full-time basis will give Tottenham tremendous depth in the centre of the pitch. Pochettino will likely be able to rotate Victor Wanyama, Mousa Dembele, Eric Dier and Harry Winks all season long. Given the way that group has played over the past year, it’s very likely that Dembele and Wanyama will be entrenched as Pochettino’s first choice pairing.
If that happens, Dier suddenly becomes relegated to a role on the substitute’s bench. It’s a fair question to wonder how that would sit with the English international. Dier could certainly be an automatic starter for a number of Premier League clubs.
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In fairness, Dier would still receive loads of playing time for Spurs. Dembele has a long history of missing matches due to injury and Dier would still be the first choice to replace any of the back three in case of injury. Circumstances could easily pop up that would allow him to start almost every match for the side.
Even so, if everyone on the squad is fit, he’s still likely to find himself on the bench to start the match. That will be a tough pill to swallow for such a proud player. It’s also a circumstance that will lead to significant bids from other Premier League clubs.
It’s only natural to assume that Dier would start to consider those big-money offers if he isn’t firmly entrenched in Pochettino’s starting XI. As much as I’m sure he loves life at Spurs at the moment, he isn’t likely to turn down a massive raise and a starting spot at another top four club if he finds himself mired on Tottenham’s bench. Someone like Manchester United could certainly try to tempt him to move away in the next year.
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Some will say this is an example of ringing the alarm bells to early, but it’s going to become an issue for Spurs as they continue to add more talent to the squad. Inevitably, some crowd favourites are going to be squeezed out of the starting XI. Eric Dier may be the first victim of the club’s impending talent infusion.