Tottenham star’s career labelled ‘over’, with Daniel Levy to sanction hasty January exit

One observer believes a Tottenham veteran’s career in north London is finished, and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy could thwart the player’s plans by forcing him out earlier than expected, per reports.

The upcoming January window is shaping up to be a busy one for Ange Postecoglou and co. The recent injuries suffered by Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have highlighted how lacking in reliable depth Tottenham’s squad truly is.

What’s more, Son Heung-min, Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr are all facing a period of absence in early-2024. Son will participate in the Asian Cup for South Korea, while Bissouma (Mali) and Sarr (Senegal) will star in the Africa Cup of Nations.

As such, varying publications have claimed Spurs are seeking January additions at centre-half, central midfield and in the final third too.

Regarding the first position on that list, Postecoglou’s needs will become even greater if Eric Dier is turfed out.

The 29-year-old has tumbled down the pecking order this term, with Van de Ven and Cristian Romero the preferred pairing at centre-back.

Dier is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and per Football Insider, he hopes to run his contract down before leaving as a free agent.

His reasoning for doing so would be to give himself a broader selection of options with regards to his potential next club. There’s also a financial element, with free agents generally able to secure more lucrative contracts given a transfer fee isn’t required in the deal.

READ MORE: The five Tottenham players who are out of contract at the end of the 2023-24 season

However, according to The Mirror, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is in no mood to let a saleable asset walk away for nothing.

After acknowledging the defender’s plan to leave for free, The Mirror stated Levy ‘plans to command a fee for Dier this January’.

Whether Levy gets his wish will depend on two factors. The first is finding a buyer who is willing to meet Spurs’ valuation. The second is convincing Dier to accept the move.

In any case, former Spurs full-back, Alan Hutton, has speculated Dier’s career at Tottenham is effectively over regardless of whether he leaves in January or not.

There’s been no signs a contract extension will be offered and per Hutton, the writing is on the wall one way or another.

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Dier’s time is up – Hutton

“If I’m totally honest, I think Tottenham will want to bring someone else in,” Hutton told Football Insider.

“With van de Ven and Romero there, who have you got there that’s going to come in?

“There’s a lot of players that have been there for a number of years now and it’s not quite worked out.

“Dier’s been there for nine years now and you would think his Tottenham career is now over considering the last few weeks.”

On the subject of where Dier might wind up, a stunning reunion with Harry Kane at Bayern Munich has been touted.

Dier a match made in heaven for Bayern – Hutton

Bayern are known to be hunting reinforcements at centre-back in the winter window. Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah is on their radar, though per a separate update from FI, Dier would be ‘seriously interested’ in filling the void in Bavaria.

Weighing in on the Dier to Bayern speculation, Hutton added: “Would he fancy it? Probably. You’re going to a team there where you’re probably going to win more often than not.

“He’d have a lot of the ball, he’s good with his feet and he can play out from the back so it’s probably something that he’ll think about.

“Ultimately I think it’s time for him to move on to something different. Obviously, Ange Postecoglou will want to bring in his own signings.”

On the subject of who Tottenham could sign in the centre-half position, TEAMtalk has confirmed moves from within the Premier League for Lloyd Kelly (Bournemouth), Chelsea’s Chalobah, Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace) and Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo have all been explored.

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