Eric Dier believes that his best years remain ahead of him and says he does not look at any criticism he gets from Tottenham fans on social media.
The 29-year-old had a decidedly mixed season for Spurs last time around. He had come off the back of a consistent previous campaign under first Nuno Espirito Santo and then Antonio Conte before starting last season well, earning himself a recall to the England squad, only to struggle for form and then with a groin injury which grew so painful he required surgery in May.
He was eased back gradually following his recovery into pre-season this summer under new boss Ange Postecoglou but has subsequently found himself out of the matchday squads, with Spurs’ new £43million arrival Micky van de Ven partnering Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez getting the back-up spot on the bench. Postecoglou told football.london out in Barcelona this month that he wants to sign another centre-back.
On Saturday, as Tottenham beat Manchester United 2-0, Dier watched on from the stands alongside his friend and former Spurs team-mate Dele Alli, who left for Everton last year.
In recent weeks Dier’s own future after nine years at Spurs has become unclear. He is currently only one injury in the squad away from being involved again on matchdays but his contract is now in its final nine months at the north London club.
The England international is not understood to be pushing for a move and wants to fight for a place in Postecoglou’s defence, but would discuss a loan exit if the club is approached about one and if the Australian does not feel he will force his way back into the line-up. However, a loan move is unlikely to appeal to Tottenham due to Dier’s contract situation, other than to save some money on his wages.
When speaking out in Singapore last month, towards the end of the club’s pre-season tour, Dier had no doubts at that point about where he wanted to be this season.
“Yeah, I’m planning on being here!” he said before being asked about what lies beyond that. “I can control what I can control. I can control playing well, being fit, training well, playing well.
“Those are the things I can control. Those kind of things [such as contract talks] are something that involve other people. So there needs to be mutuality there. I can’t speak for the other side (and whether Spurs want to give him a new deal). All I can say is, look, I’m going to do what I can do, control what I can control and try to have a great season.”
Last season was a mixed bag for Dier and the defender felt that he managed to put in some of the best performances of his career before the campaign took a turn in the other direction with the excruciating pain of his worsening groin injury.
“The last six months of the season before and the first six months of last season were about as good as I’ve ever played. I felt really, really good. Obviously then going to the World Cup was fantastic, getting back in the England squad. Not just those six months, but that year,” he said.
“Then the following six months I think there was just a culmination of things that just I think impacted the team and impacted the club and the team and everything. It became a very difficult six months collectively and individually for many people.
“For myself, I started to struggle a lot physically. Obviously I ended up having surgery at the end of the season. It was very difficult for me. I don’t care about excuses or anything but looking back it was a very difficult six months physically for me given what I was suffering with and now it feels fantastic to have the surgery and feel 100 per cent again.
“I think that had a big impact on me in those six months. Then there were many things that had an impact on me on what was going on, the results, everything.”
Dier’s diminishing form brought about scathing criticism from the Tottenham supporters across social media, with his ongoing injury not revealed until the surgery was announced in May.
Of anyone though not to be affected by what is posted on social media it is the Spurs centre-back.
“Many people might say they don’t care, I’m telling you I genuinely don’t care! I don’t read it. You’d have to tell me,” said Dier.
“Yesterday we did an appearance with some kids and they asked how we deal with the pressure of social media and all that stuff. The answer for me is really simple. You don’t look at it and then it doesn’t exist in your mind. That’s what I do and then I don’t care.
“The only people that I care about is what my family says about me, and what my manager and team-mates say about me. The rest of it I really couldn’t care less.
“For the first six months of the season, people were saying X, Y and Z about me, the next six months they were saying something else. I don’t care. It’s football, man. It’s not something that bothers me at all.”
Dier, who has 49 England caps having played for his country at two World Cups and a European Championships, believes that his best football and form lies ahead of him and he feels privileged to have learned from so many different managers at Tottenham, including the latest one in Postecoglou.
“I’m 29! I genuinely believe my best years are ahead of me. I don’t just believe, I know that,” he declared. “From what I’ve seen in my team-mates and players I’ve played with over the years, if I look at two of my great friends in Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele, for me they had their best years in their early 30s when I was with them at Tottenham. For me that was the best moments of their careers.
“So I think you look around and you see that with many players. I know my best years are coming, I’m excited for that.
“I’m really enjoying working under the manager. Obviously it’s a very different style of play but that’s enjoyable physically and mentally to learn a different style of football. I’ve been extremely lucky to work with Pochettino, Mourinho, Conte and now Ange. Every single one of them, their style is different. The way they train is different, tactically they’re different. For me and my football education, I’ve been extremely lucky.”
For Dier the future of his football education remains unclear although he would love to get himself into a position to represent England again at the Euros next summer.
“Of course, it’s definitely on my mind, but like I always say with England stuff and Tottenham stuff, whatever, in football who knows what’s going to happen. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” he said. “For me, it’s about controlling what you can control and that’s being fit and playing well. The rest is out of your hands.”
Eric Dier was taking part in a batik art class with participants from Children’s Wishing Well, a local charity in Singapore that supports children from low income and disadvantaged backgrounds to provide them with opportunities to succeed in life and equip them with skills for the future.
