Within the span of a week, Tottenham Hotspur produced both their finest and worst performances of the current Premier League season: a convincing 4-0 victory against Aston Villa and a depressing 3-0 setback at Craven Cottage against Fulham.
With Spurs needing a win to get back into the top four, the turmoil on display last weekend appeared to be a stunning retreat in the customary entertaining offered under Ange Postecoglou’s direction.
One day later, thankfully, Aston Villa drew away from West Ham United; after playing one more game, the fourth-place squad now leads by three points.
While Spurs players Radu Dragusin and Yves Bissouma Postecoglou were left perplexed as their team lumbered to their seventh league loss of the year, one clear factor in the outcome was the absence of center-back Micky van de Ven, who was substituted at Villa Park due to a hamstring injury. Although it’s not a major issue, it was significant enough to cause Tottenham to suffer a crushing defeat in his absence.
For precisely this reason, Radu Dragusin was acquired from Genoa for £27 million in January. However, in his Premier League debut, he played a charlatan, giving in to the skillful play of Rodrigo Muniz and looking a lot more comfortable than he actually was.
Despite this, he was signed to fit into Postecoglou’s style and, at 21, has all the makings of a premier defensive player.
A look at the signings under Ange Postecoglou at Spurs so far and why Eric Dier didn’t fit the new manager’s system 🧐 pic.twitter.com/BLl6QFZE3J
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 11, 2024
In essence, he is a like-for-like replacement for Eric Dier. Despite the Romanian’s difficult start, he is definitely an improvement over the England international and evidence of the new management’s growth.
The reason behind Spurs’ sale Eric Dier
Although Dier is a fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there aren’t many fans who are upset over his sale.
Eric Dier, a former Tottenham defender
After struggling to make an impact on the squad under Postecoglou the previous season, Dier completed a loan move to German Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in the winter, with the option to extend for an extra year.
The 29-year-old’s contract with Tottenham expired this summer, and Bayern has since taken advantage of that to retain him for the upcoming year. He has made an impression early on in his Bavarian endeavor and has received plaudits from German media for his faultless start.
However, he did not work for Postecoglou and was appropriately dispatched on, since he was out of place in the new tactical arrangement. Dier has only made four Premier League appearances when he left in January, and his only start came about because Cristian Romero and Van van Ven weren’t available.
An examination of Spurs’ current acquisitions under Ange Postecoglou and the reasons Eric Dier didn’t mesh with the new coach’s philosophy ð\§ pic.twitter.com/BLl6QFZE3J — Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 11, 2024
Under Mauricio Pochettino’s direction, Dier was a key member of a Tottenham team that was struggling to reassemble the pieces of defensive command and solidity from the previous season.
The defense’s problems were a major factor in the team’s eighth-place Premier League result, as evidenced by the 63 goals conceded, which towered over every team save the three teams who were demoted and Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, who were promoted.
According to Sofascore, Dier was a tremendous aerial threat, winning 70% of his aerial duels, but he only averaged 0.9 tackles and 1.3 successful ground duels per game.
Eric Dier, a Tottenham player
Furthermore, according to FBref, the 6′ 2″ ace is now in the lowest 44% of center defenders in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive passes per 90, which is inconsistent with the type of play Postecoglou is teaching his men in N17.
He was too immobile, too combative, too pressurized for Tottenham’s new style of play, and it would have been foolish to start talks about a new contract.
ðϸϽ™ï¸ Tuchel on Dier and de Ligt’s center-back combination: “They win games and get along well with our full-backs and defensive midfielders.” Due to their recent strong play, they have a good possibility of beginning together again.” #SVDFCB #packmas https://twitter.com/36yGZAUE37 @FCBayernEN, FC Bayern Munich 15 March 2024.
Although it’s great that he’s doing well at Bayern Munich, this was a necessary move given his exorbitant pay and lack of influence.
Eric Dier’s Spurs career statistics
Pundit Jamie O’Hara expressed his thoughts on Dier’s place in Postecoglou’s team at the beginning of the 2023–24 season, and many Lilywhite supporters undoubtedly agreed with him.
“I don’t think Tottenham should be starting him. To be honest, I think his time at Tottenham is over. He’s not talented enough, in my opinion, to play for Tottenham.
“He has been a devoted employee of the club for a considerable amount of time. He simply isn’t good enough, though. Tottenham must move on. The future exists today.
Pounds, Cash, and Money
Wage Burners in Soccer The Wage Burners series on FanCast examines modern-day game salaries.
The England international cost over £4 million when he joined the team in 2014. He made 365 appearances for the team before leaving, contributing 12 assists and 13 goals, but it was clearly time to move on, especially given his pay.
Writer Mitch Fretton dubbed Dier a “liability,” Dier made £85k a week at Tottenham after his last contract renewal in 2020. Adding his £4 million fee to his entire salary, Dier cost the club approximately £34 million, constantly eating away at chairman Daniel Levy’s finances.
Spurs Pay Comparison: Eric Dier versus. Teammates
Participant
Pay
Eric Dier
£85k every week
Pedro Porro
£85k every week
Vicario Guglielmo
£75,000 every week
Rodrigo Bentancur
£75,000 every week
Udogie Destiny
£75,000 every week
Yves Bissouma
£55,000 every week
Micky van der Ven
£50,000 every week
Pay through Capology
It’s incredible that he was earning £35k more a week than Van van Ven, who has been captivating everyone ever since he entered Tottenham.
Even though the Dutchman, who signed for £43 million in August from German team Wolfsburg, is only 22 years old and will surely eventually be rewarded with a new bumper package, he is already regarded as one of the Premier League’s greatest center backs.
The athletic ace also ranks in the top 1% for successful take-ons, the top 16% for progressive carries, the top 25% for progressive passes per 90, and the top 3% of positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion over the previous year.
Dier’s time at Tottenham has come to an end, and although we should honor his dedication and years of service, Postecoglou is ushering in a new age that may finally bring about some silverware, therefore it was time to send the Three Lions player go.
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