Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League • England
Tottenham star named as elite manager’s ‘favourite’ signing for January window, with World Cup winner to be snubbed
Todd Cantwell, Eric Dier and Giovani Lo Celso during Norwich vs Tottenham
Tottenham defender Eric Dier is Jose Mourinho’s priority target for Roma in the January transfer window, according to reports.
Dier worked with Mourinho while the Portuguese was in charge of Tottenham between November 2019 and April 2021. Dier was a regular in the Tottenham starting eleven during Mourinho’s time in North London, as shown by him making 39 appearances across all competitions in the 2020-21 season.
However, that is no longer the case. While Mourinho has continued to sprinkle his magic on European football by helping Roma to win the Europa Conference League in 2021-22, Dier is facing a tough situation at Spurs.
The Englishman is no longer needed as new boss Ange Postecoglou is reaping the rewards of using Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero as his centre-back partnership.
Due to Van De Ven and Romero’s solid performances, Dier is yet to actually play this term. And there are now growing rumours Dier could depart the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the next transfer window.
On Thursday, it was claimed that Mourinho and Roma are ready to open talks with Spurs to see if they can capture Dier in January. Calciomercato added that Dier earned Mourinho’s ‘trust’ when playing under him.
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Fellow Italian source Tuttosport have now provided their information on Dier, as cited by Corriere Giallo Rosso and Sport Witness. They reveal that Mourinho has decided on the 29-year-old as his ‘favourite’ player to bolster Roma’s defence this winter.
The report explains how Mourinho does not have a huge amount of money to work with, which is limiting his defensive search somewhat. Roma are being forced to pursue players who are either on the transfer market or coming towards the end of their contracts, and Dier fits into the latter category.
Eric Dier likely to complete Roma switch
With his Spurs deal expiring in June, Roma should be able to snare him for a reduced price in January.
Dier is likely to accept Roma’s contract offer, too. That is because he is now fed up of being snubbed by Postecoglou and is ‘ready to leave Spurs’ for pastures new.
Interestingly, Dier is not the only defender on Roma’s list of possible signings. They have also been considering a swoop for veteran defender Jerome Boateng of late, as the Germany World Cup winner is a free agent after leaving Lyon at the end of last season.
However, Mourinho is not sure whether Boateng has the fitness needed to perform well in Serie A week in, week out, as he is now 35 years old and coming towards the end of his career.
Dier, in contrast, is effectively in his prime at 29, which means he should be able to adapt to the Italian top flight quickly and help improve the Roma backline.