Last month AS Roma and manager Jose Mourinho were tentatively linked with a move for Tottenham Hotspur and former England centre half Eric Dier, and as we move closer to the New Year and the European transfer window in January opening, the 29 year old former defensive midfielder is now being slightly more strongly linked.
The 49 capped international is currently expected to leave the north London club when his contract comes to a natural expiry next summer, but with it being claimed that Mourinho is very keen to reunite with him, many fans will be wondering if there is a cheeky bid to be had, or some kind loan plus nominal fee arrangement that would see him arrive at the club earlier – particularly in light of the fact he is capable of signing a pre contract agreement with clubs outside of England when he hits the final six month mark.
As is typical for this time of year though, despite the surety of some reports of Roma’s interest in him, others are claiming that they are now focusing on other potential targets, as the club have concerns about his current level of game time and whether or not that lack of true match fitness could impact on him being able to make a more immediate impression on the team at the Stadio Olimpico.
As well as the Mourinho link from his own spell at White Hart Lane previously in his career, former Sporting Lisbon Academy player, Dier, also has support from the Giallorossi’s technical director, Tiago Pinto, who also likes the player and having been tasked with formulating options for a new centre half, has reportedly put him top of the list given the qualities he carries as a player.
Dier has been an incredible servant over the years for Spurs. Arriving at the club back in the summer of 2014 for reported snip fee of only £4 million, he has gone on to make well over 300 starting appearances for the side across the years, but following the arrival of new manager Ange Postecoglou at the beginning of the current campaign, he has only featured twice for them, and although he has plenty of game time left in him given his age, it does not seem that the former Australian international manager fancies him and nor that his future lies in London.
Despite the contradictory nature of the reports when it comes to Roma’s interest, the one thing they agree on is a January exit is probably more likely unless his game time changes in the next week and a bit.
