Dier decisions
ERIC IN DIG AT THE BIGGEST SPENDERS
ERIC DIER says clubs who try to buy their way out of trouble are going the wrong way about solving their problems.
Jose Mourinho has moaned all summer about Manchester United’s refusal to spend, spend, spend.
On the flip side, Spurs kept their powder dry as manager Mauricio Pochettino refused to kick up a stink while the club built for the future in the shape of their new stadium.
The Argentine knew that spending was for those who did not know what they had in the locker – and he was certain he had enough quality in his own backyard.
Dier claims a summer without spending gave them a new edge, built on team spirit, and the result is they are off to a flyer, unbeaten so far this season ahead of facing Watford – also unbeaten – today.
The England international, 24, said: “I see when big teams are doing badly, people say they need to spend another £200million or £300m. It’s crazy.
“People are looking at the wrong things if they think they need to spend money in that kind of sense to change things.
“It’s so much more down to working with the players you have got, getting the best out of the players you have got, building something as a team.
“The culture you create at the training ground, the work you put in at the training ground, the atmosphere, the relationship between the players – there are like 50 different factors.
“Of course, one of those factors is signing players and teams need to sign players for different reasons – yes, there is always something better out there.
“People use it as an excuse and it’s the easy option to say, ‘Oh yeah, we’ll just spend £100m on a player and everything will be okay’. It’s not the case.
“If you look at clubs relegated recently, lots of them have spent a lot of money. They think that is what is going to make them better, but it’s so far from reality. “It’s all about the manager and the players who are the club, creating that right environment and demanding everything from everyone every day. Improving every day, improving the players you have at your disposal and not looking elsewhere constantly.
“For me, you don’t understand if you think just spending money is going to resolve things. It’s so far from it.
“The manager hasn’t spoken about this, it’s my opinion.
“We are a good example because we have had to find different ways to achieve the same results as other teams. I think we will be in a better position for it.
“People love to talk about the fact we have not signed anyone but we have a fantastic squad.
Why sign someone if they are not going to improve that?
“Everything is ingrained in us after four years together. We’ve experienced a lot and I think we’ve all matured now.
“We have another tough game and we want to win that and go into the international break in great shape.”
Watford v Tottenham Today, 4pm, Sky Sports Main Event