OPINION
Tottenham could play a blinder by succeeding in their reported pursuit of West Ham sensation Declan Rice as he would be a clear upgrade on Eric Dier.
According to the Daily Express, Spurs are plotting a £35million bid for the Hammers’ utility man in case Christian Eriksen quits, however given Rice’s defensive strengths he should be signed even if the Danish playmaker stays.
Dier is clearly Spurs’ current first-choice when it comes to holding midfielders, however that wouldn’t be the case if Rice arrives.
While Spurs’ 25-year-old midfield enforcer, who earns £60,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac) , has shone for the club at times in his 21 outings this season, he has been very inconsistent when he comes to his form in the current campaign and in his 2017/18 campaign.
In fact at times you wonder if Dier’s progress at the club as stalled as more often than not these days he can be a source of frustration due to making the wrong decisions.
With that in mind if Rice was signed, especially for the fee of £35million, he’d be an upgrade on Dier due to not only being younger, but being arguably one of the most consistent performers in the league.
The 20-year-old has wowed as a defensive midfielder in Manuel Pellegrini’s side in his 26 appearances and looked equally as strong when playing as a centre-halve last season.
Even when the Hammers’ form has surprisingly dipped, Rice has always kept his impressive performances up and that is credit to his immense talent.
So when you consider that Rice is much younger, performing to a high-level already and is consistent beyond belief, Spurs could play blinder by signing him as Dier would be swiftly upgraded.