Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier has his share of critics in media and among supporters; however, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher decided to praise the 28-year-old for his form since manager Antonio Conte took over in November.
“I’ve been really impressed with him,” Carragher said on Sky Sports (via HITC). “There’s no doubt that since he’s come in, Antonio Conte, he’s placed him in the middle of that back three, and you look at the record with and without him, he’s definitely a leader in this team, and I definitely think this back three suits him rather than playing in a back four.”
In Spurs’ thumping over Newcastle United this past weekend, Dier played all 90 minutes with 115 touches and 98 of his 106 passes for a 92-percent completion percentage. Dier won four of nine total duels and five clearances on the defensive side.
Conte appears to trust Dier since his playing time hasn’t gone down since the Italian tactician was appointed as Spurs manager. Nonetheless, this summer, the north London club will be looking for a center-back in the three-central defender system.
Romero and Dier will need a third member, as there are reports that Tottenham would like an upgrade on Ben Davies. It will be interesting to see whether Dier can continue to improve under Conte.
Out of the three it would be Dier I’d be looking to replace.