Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier is prepared to make the switch to centre-back in a bid to solve the club’s potential problems there in the near future, according to The Sun.
The newspaper report that the 24-year-old enforcer is ready to revert back to the position he used to play in a bid to help out the club, with both Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld coming to the end of their contracts next summer.
The Sun claim that despite the club having options to extend both players’ deals their future will be under the microscope, and the 6ft 2in Dier [Transfermarkt] is willing to help ease the pressure by returning as a centre-back.
OPINION
Dier arrived at Spurs as a centre-back four years ago but was initially deployed as a right-back on debut before moving into the centre of defence for his first season at the club. Mauricio Pochettino then took a risk over the summer which many thought would not work by converting Dier into a defensive midfielder, and the 24-year-old has not looked back since. Dier has developed into a top level midfielder since then and has played the majority of his games in that position. He has also become a regular for England in the middle of the park, and is now seen as a bona-fide midfielder. It is however unsurprising that he is willing to return to centre-back, with Pochettino occasionally moving him back when needed. It is doubtful that this switch would be a permanent one, with Dier settled in midfield and looking a better player there. He would merely just move back into defence if and when he is needed to do so, just as he does now.