Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League • England
Postecoglou has ‘made mind up’ and will sanction Tottenham transfer with bargain deal closing for 49-cap international
Ange Postecoglou has already sanctioned the January exit for Eric Dier with the experienced Tottenham star now likely to choose between one of two new clubs in the forthcoming window – and a new man set to arrive at the club in his place.
The likeable star joined the club way back in summer 2014 when Mauricio Pochettino made him one of his first signings for the club in a bargain £4m deal from Sporting Lisbon. In that time, Dier has seen many ups and downs, playing in 363 games for Tottenham across nine and a half seasons.
However, after falling out of favour under Postecoglou, Dier has been limited to just two appearances all season, with just 146 minutes of action to his name.
With his current deal due to expire in the summer, Dier will now leave Spurs after some nine-and-a-half seasons in the January window with Spurs seeking a bargain fee – believed to be as little as £5m – for the 49-times capped England man.
As a result, a reunion with former manager Jose Mourinho has been tipped at Roma, though the Italians are far from the only side battling for his signature.
Indeed, it was revealed earlier this month that Fenerbahce are also desperate to sign Dier, with a director of the Super Lig giants flying into London to try and negotiate the finer details of a possible move.
Now reports in Turkey claim that move is starting to take shape and that Dier is nudging closer and closer to the switch.
A move to Turkey might come as a surprise for some regarding Dier, but the player is desperate to move on and knows he needs to be playing regular football again and he is believed to have been greatly impressed by their plans for him.
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Postecoglou has cleared Eric Dier to leave Tottenham
Wherever he ends up, former England coach Stuart Pearce reckons Postecoglou has already made it clear to Dier that he will be free to leave in January.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Pearce reckons a change in style at Spurs has ultimately led Postecoglou to inform Dier that his time is now up, with even full-backs Emerson Royal and Ben Davies preferred ahead of him recently when injuries and suspensions took ahold on their squad.
“If you’re not a first-team starter at his age, there’s every chance [he will leave],” Pearce said.
“It might well have made Ange’s mind up that he’s going to move him on. He’s had a look at him over the last few months, and the way Tottenham play with a high-court press, which leaves them very exposed at the back, [Micky] van de Ven showed that he can play in that role because of his pace.
“The players that do actually play there will have to be confident of playing one-on-one or two-on-two.
“He’s got to be confident that he’s got two mobile players at the heart of that back line who are going to be able to handle that full-court press and the exposure that throws up. Eric Dier doesn’t owe Tottenham anything so he might view this as a good time to move on.”
Tottenham ready to sign new defender
With Dier’s move expected to be one of Tottenham’s first deals of the January window, focus will now turn to possible replacements in their backline.
And with the Aussie confirming he wants to bring in a new defender, funds have been made available for team strengthening in January.
Speaking about his wish to sign a new defender, Postecoglou admitted recently: “It’s fair to say that we can’t run the risk of that [injury crisis] happening again, so that’s obviously a priority for us in January.
“But again, we’ve got to get the right person. It’s not just about bringing another body in, it’s about getting the right one in and hopefully that’ll happen.”
In an ideal world, Postecoglou would love to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba, though his side’s Bundesliga title challenge, together with a lofty fee, means a deal next month looks tricky.
Jean-Clair Todibo is also on their radar and a €40m (£34m) offer could be enough to convince them Nice to sell.
However, the most likely signing will be Sebastian Caceres. The Uruguay international can move on next month, and it may take a fee as low as €7m to persuade his side, Club America to cash in.
According to reports in Italy, Spurs do lead the chase for the 24-year-old, whose current deal expires in December 2024.
Torino are also keen as they look to replace the injured Perr Schuurs, though it’s thought a move to Tottenham is the player’s top choice.
As a result, it may well prove one in, one out for Tottenham with funds from Dier’s sale used to bring in Caceres, who will be used as cover for Van de Ven and Cristian Romero over the second half of the season.
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