Eric Dier bid farewell to Tottenham Hotspur in January after a decade-long career in North London.
Having fallen down the pecking order at Spurs under Ange Postecoglou, the English defender made a move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich on a six-month loan initially, with an option for the deal’s extension by one year.
Recently, Bayern Munich exercised that option, deciding to secure Dier’s services permanently once he reaches the requisite number of appearances, aligning with the expiration of his contract with Spurs in June.
In an exclusive interview with Henry Winter, chief football writer for The Times, Dier expressed his admiration and support for Tottenham’s chairman, Daniel Levy, who often faces criticism from fans.
Levy signed Dier from the Portuguese club Sporting in the summer of 2014, securing him on a five-year contract for a relatively modest fee of just €5 million.
Acknowledging Levy’s contributions, Dier praised his stewardship in modernising Tottenham’s infrastructure, citing the establishment of a cutting-edge training facility and the construction of the club’s state-of-the-art stadium.
While some Spurs supporters measure success by the number of trophies, Dier highlighted Tottenham’s competitive edge, citing their consistent presence in top-four contention and their remarkable journey to the 2019 Champions League final.
Dier stated (via The Times):
“Daniel’s a very strong businessman. He’s an extremely difficult man to negotiate with but he looks after the club. I just find it funny when I went to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and see ‘Levy Out’ and I’m thinking, this guy over the last ten years has built the best infrastructure in football, best training ground, best stadium — and a team during all of that time that has stayed relatively competitive, reaching the Champions League final in 2019.
“You look at some other clubs struggling now that Financial Fair Play is becoming a big thing. That’s where I have a lot of respect for Daniel. Look at Arsenal when they built their new stadium, you saw that decline of the team, there were financial constraints as they built, and only now they’re finally coming back.
“You never hear Tottenham in any of these FFP conversations. It’s baffling to me that a Tottenham fan could ever be upset with someone who looks after a club in that way.”
However, despite the lack of silverware in Tottenham’s trophy cabinet, there is no doubt that they are considered one of the best-run clubs in the country.
TBH Says:
While we have the full right to criticise the lack of ambition shown in recent times that has contributed to our trophy drought, there is no doubt that Levy has helped the club become financially stable.
At a time when several clubs including Everton, Nottingham Forest, Leicester and Manchester City have come under fire for breaching Financial Fairplay rules and PSR rules, Spurs have remained clear out of any trouble in such regard.
