How Dier went from Spurs reject to Bayern’s rock
NEVER mind the glittering shootout between Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, star billing in the first of the Champions League semi-finals belongs to a man transformed from Tottenham outcast to the rock of Bayern Munich.
Eric Dier has been a sensation in Germany. At first, they wondered why Thomas Tuchel wanted a player written off by Spurs, but within three months he has become the first defender on the team sheet. Solid, dependable, vocal. Organising and improving others. Not to mention reviving hopes of an England recall with his international career stuck on 49 caps. It is a classic from the redemption genre.
‘Eric has topped our expectations,’ said Bayern boss Tuchel ahead of Saturday’s win over Eintracht Frankfurt. ‘We are very satisfied with him. He has given us a lot of stability, is a great character, a lot of fun, a lot of energy, open-minded. And a very good player.’
Dier joined Bayern for £3.4million on deadline day in January, initially on a short-term deal until the end of the season, when his Tottenham contract was set to expire, but he quickly made enough appearances to trigger a clause in his contract for another year in Munich. Steffen Freund, a Spurs icon now working as a co-commentator for RTL Germany, Servus TV Austria and international Bundesliga coverage, was among the minority who thought he would be a hit.
‘I thought it was a fantastic signing for Bayern,’ Freund tells Mail Sport. ‘Cheap for an experienced international defender who can play in three or four positions. He’s maybe not the quickest but he reads the game and makes very few mistakes.
‘I watch Bayern many times and my only question is why Spurs let him go. He is clearly good enough to play at this level. I say this with respect for Daniel Levy and Ange Postecoglou, but he has shown already that he can play in a team with a high defensive line. He is only 30 and he can easily play at centre back for Bayern for two or three more years.’
Freund was on Tottenham’s backroom staff when Dier arrived from Sporting Lisbon in 2014 and scored a last-minute winner on his debut at West Ham, where he finished the game at right back after a red card for Kyle Naughton. Over the next nine-and-ahalf years, he seemed to ricochet back and forth from the heart of the team to the periphery, his versatility both a help and a hindrance, his relationship with the fans oscillating.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, he excelled in midfield, where he had a chemistry with Mousa Dembele. Pochettino would throw his full backs forward and Dier would cover Dembele’s roaming, dropping to play as a third centre back when required.
It was evidence of his natural awareness and appreciation of the game but when Dembele faded and departed for China, the midfield reshaped. By the time Spurs reached the Champions League final in 2019, it comprised Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko and Christian Eriksen, with Dier on the bench. He played again more regularly in central defence, often at his best in the middle of a back three, a role in which he flourished for Antonio Conte.
Jose Mourinho also liked Dier’s competitiveness. ‘The only guy who likes conflict,’ said Mourinho during Amazon’s documentary series of the 2019-20 season, a fighting spirit in evidence when he waded into the crowd to confront a fan after losing an FA Cup tie on penalties against Norwich.
Postecoglou was less enamoured. At least, not tactically. Dier soldiered on last season through injury and had surgery last summer. It held him back at the start of pre-season training but Postecoglou already seemed to have made up his mind.
Recovery pace at the back was the priority for the new boss, who spent £43m to sign Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg and seemed to make a determined effort to shift away from the past.
Tottenham’s dressing room leadership group of Kane, Dier, Hugo Lloris and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was replaced by Son Heung-min, Cristian Romero and James Maddison. Kane left for Bayern. Lloris was cleared to find a new club and left in January for Los Angeles FC in MLS. Hojbjerg has proved useful, mostly from the bench, but Dier started only once, in a defeat at Wolves in November.
Even so, club insiders speak of Dier’s impeccable attitude. Never late for training. Always engaged in the sessions and an influential voice. He even went out of his way to help Van de Ven settle, although he had effectively taken his place, but a mid-season exit suited everyone. Tottenham had struck a deal to sign Radu Dragusin for £26.7m from Genoa. Bayern were also keen on Dragusin but the Romania international chose London.
Amid a defensive injury crisis in January, Postecoglou was asked whether he could still afford to lose Dier. ‘Yes,’ he replied emphatically. Little wonder his arrival in Munich did not set pulses racing in the way Kane’s had.
‘In Germany, many people were sceptical of taking one of Tottenham’s reserves,’ admits Jan Aage Fjortoft, the former Norway international now a leading Bundesliga pundit for Viaplay and ESPN. ‘But he has adapted to life there, has been reliable and now he always plays.
‘Like Kane, he has shown respect for German football and his performances are a consequence of that. He is an intelligent player. He knows his weaknesses as well as his strengths.’
Matthijs De Ligt has looked happier and more comfortable alongside Dier. They have become Tuchel’s preferred pair in central defence, although De Ligt picked up a knock against Frankfurt and is a doubt for the first leg tonight. Dayot Upamecano has been out injured so it could mean a recall for Kim Min-jae but there is little dispute now that Dier is the primary centre back.
‘Not many people here expected it when he signed but Dier has become very important for Bayern,’ says Julien Wolff, of Die Welt newspaper. ‘He is friendly, very professional, very popular. His team-mates, the media, supporters all like him. He is a fighter and a very good player, a very good signing.’
Dier has found a new home, teamed up again with Kane on the brink of a Champions League final, and Gareth Southgate and Spurs fans will watch with interest.