Former Premier League player and current talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier is not good enough to take the Lilywhites where they want to be.
Last month, it was reported that the north London club are looking to see the Englishman sign a two-year extension to his current deal, which is set to expire in the summer of 2024.
This has since led to one pundit sharing his reaction to this prospect and thoughts on Dier in general.
Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor had this to say about Dier and his ability to help Spurs become successful.
He said: “I do like Dier. But if Spurs really want to challenge for the Premier League and play in the Champions League year-in, year-out – he just isn’t the defender they need.
“He’s a certain level – and that applies for England too. England won’t win anything with him playing.
“He’s a decent Premier League option who would be good as a back-up. But he’s not got the pace to be a top-four player, I can tell you that for sure. Dier can’t take Spurs where they want to go.”
This season has seen the 29-year-old start all seven of Spurs’ Champions League games and 23 of the 24 Premier League games he’s appeared in, showing how important he is for Antonio Conte.
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Across his league games, Dier has shown his defensive talent by racking up the highest average of clearances per game at Spurs (3.3) as well as the joint-highest for blocks per game (0.8) and the third-highest for interceptions per game (1.2).
The England international’s overall performances have earned him a season rating of 6.83/10 from WhoScored, making him the sixth-highest rated player in Conte’s squad.
This, in our view, makes it understandable why the Lilywhites are apparently looking to extend the defender’s deal.
With that in mind, it could be said that Agbonlahor has been rather harsh about putting Spurs’ inability to win trophies on Dier’s prominence in the team.