Tottenham’s Premier League title challenge all but came to an end last weekend after they went down 1-0 at West Ham.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side had the chance to close the gap between themselves and leaders Chelsea to just one point with victory, but they produced a lethargic performance to deservedly lose to Manuel Lanzini’s second half strike at the London Stadium.
And with the Blues comfortably dispatching Middlesbrough 3-0 on Monday night, Antonio Conte’s men know that victory on Friday against West Brom will secure them the title, and leave Spurs left to ponder a second season in which they have come up just short.
Nonetheless, Pochettino’s men will continue to fight and hope to finish the season on a high before a potentially defining summer of action in the transfer window, with rumours and speculation already building about incomings and outgoings at White Hart Lane this summer.
And one man linked with a move away in recent weeks is 23-year-old midfielder Eric Dier, capped 17 times by England over the last few years.
The former Sporting CP man has started 31 of their 35 Premier League games this term but less than half of those have seen him start in the centre of midfield, instead he has been filling in at centre-half be it in a two or a three.
And being unable to nail down a regular spot in his preferred position in central midfield is thought to frustrate Dier, and subsequently Manchester United have been linked with a move for the England star this summer.
However, Spurs should do all they can to prevent Dier moving to Old Trafford as he still has much to offer this Tottenham team as they embark on some massive years as a football club.
Ultimately, Dier has come on massively at Spurs since his £4 million move from Sporting back in the summer of 2014.
Since then, the 23-year-old has played 95 times in the Premier League for Pochettino’s side, and a further 33 times in other competitions to demonstrate his importance to this Tottenham team.
The national side have also recognised his flourishment at Spurs by making him a key part of the midfield, be it under Roy Hodgson or current boss Gareth Southgate, to further underline his current ability but also his undoubted potential to control the England midfield for years to come.
And it’s this potential which Spurs have to hone in on in years to come, especially as they are going to endure a tricky few seasons given that they’ll be at Wembley next term, and then move to a new stadium the season after.
Quite simply, Tottenham cannot afford to lose their most important players and star assets, and although Dier doesn’t always play every week, he is an asset given his immense versatility and ability to adapt to new roles in-game.
Pochettino can alter things during the game when Dier is on the pitch, be it by going from a back four to a three with the Englishman moving back, or by doing the opposite and going from a three to a four – the options are there when he is on the pitch, and there isn’t really another player where that is also an option.
Clearly, that is an enormous benefit, as is the fact that he is battling with two of the best central midfielders in the Premier League in Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama to get on the pitch.
Remember, Dier is only 23 and still has much to learn, and who better to learn from than Belgian international Dembele, who is brilliant given that he can do almost anything you want a central midfielder to do, and 25-year-old Wanyama, who is powerful and strong and epitomises what you need in a midfielder to succeed in this league.
It may not feel like that when he is forced into defence by them or onto the bench, but Dier can learn a lot from those two – if he can get into the team ahead of them, he must be doing something right, and you sense that competition like that could really bring the best out of Dier.
And although playing at centre-back isn’t his preferred choice, Dier often looks at home in that role, and with England boss Southgate utilising that system against Germany back in March, his national team chances will remain high as there aren’t many English centre-backs who are comfortable and have flourished in that slightly different defensive role.
Ultimately, staying at Tottenham would be beneficial to Dier.
The manager is one of the best at trusting and backing his younger players to perform; he is competing with two of the best in his position which can only be healthy; and his England chances arguably remain stronger while at Spurs, given his seamlessly adaptation to the back three role.
Tottenham is the place for Dier to go on and become a top-quality player.