Following a hectic summer of transfer business for Tottenham Hotspur, new boss Ange Postecoglou has been able to begin to put his stamp on proceedings by wrapping up nine deals in the recent window, while also moving on a raft of first-team assets as part of something of a squad claret.
The likes of Harry Winks, Davinson Sanchez, Joe Rodon, Djed Spence, Japhet Tanganga and Tanguy Ndombele have all secured various loan and permanent departures from N17, with Postecoglou wielding the axe following a 2022/23 season which saw the club finish in a lowly eighth-place.
Despite those notable exits, however, there do appear to be a handful of somewhat 'unwanted' figures still on the books in north London, with veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris unable to find a new home despite having been left out of the pre-season tour squad.
Equally, the Lilywhites also appear to be stuck with another long-serving dud in the form of England international, Eric Dier, with the 29-year-old – who has just a year left on his existing deal – unable to seal a late switch despite looking surplus to requirements.
With the former Sporting CP ace having stumbled down the pecking order since the change in the dugout, it looks as if Postecoglou will be keen to rely on alternative options to rival the likes of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.
What has happened to Eric Dier at Tottenham?
A player with 360 appearances to his name for Spurs in all competitions across the last nine years, it has been something of a surprise that the experienced centre-back has been given the cold shoulder by Postecoglou of late.
Currently not part of the former Celtic man's plans – after being excluded from every matchday squad so far this term – the £85k-per-week asset was among the players who the club were said to be willing to sell this summer, albeit with no move having materialised.
With deadline day having come and gone, there are reports that a January departure lies in store for Dier, with journalist Ryan Taylor having stated last term that the defender is "nowhere near the required level for what Spurs are trying to achieve".
Having formed part of a backline that shipped a woeful tally of 63 league goals last term, albeit while carrying an injury, it looks as if the 6 foot 2 dud is paying the price for his recent woes, while also suffering from Postecoglou's decision to move away from the previous 3-4-3 formation that was favoured under Antonio Conte.
33 games (31 starts)
2 goals
1 assist
9 clean sheets
86% pass accuracy rate
9.3x possession lost per game
Stats via Sofascore
Dier's shortcomings as part of a flat back four were exposed in the pre-season friendly clash with Barcelona, with football.london's Alasdair Gold writing that the forgotten man 'looked shaky at times' up against the Catalan giants.
With the Englishman having been cast aside of late, it has left Romero and Van de Ven as the only obvious options at the heart of the defence, with that something of a worry ahead of another long and gruelling season.
Who could replace Dier at Tottenham?
Postecoglou does, of course, also have Ben Davies to call upon as something of a makeshift option in that centre-back berth, although like Dier the Welshman has typically been utilised as part of a back three, while he is also likely to be the main rival to Destiny Udogie at left-back.
That fact has ensured that summer signing Ashley Phillips – who signed on a £2m deal from Blackburn Rovers – is likely to make a rapid step-up from life in the second tier, with the 18-year-old already training with the first-team squad in north London.
While just a teenager, the youngster has earned rave reviews for his talents of late to spark hope that he can be relied upon this season, with former Rovers boss Tony Mowbray describing him as an "amazing footballer" back in 2021.
Phillips may not be the only teenage talent whom Postecoglou could turn to, however, with academy starlet Charlie Sayers having also caught the eye of late amid his standout displays at youth level.
Who is Charlie Sayers?
The 19-year-old is still waiting to make his competitive first-team debut since signing from Southend United back in December 2021, although the versatile ace – who can also feature at left-back – does boast prior senior experience for his former employers, after making six National League appearances.
The verdict at the time was that Southend had a real talent on their hands, with Sayers having been the recipient of notable praise from then-boss Phil Brown, who told The Echo:
“I think Charlie Sayers has been outstanding and you have to say he has a career ahead of him, there’s no doubt about it. He’s got two games under his belt now but is he going to make mistakes as a 17-year-old boy? Absolutely. But on Tuesday he had a team on Tuesday that was protecting him.”
That glowing assessment was also followed by some kind words from head coach Kevin Maher following the confirmation of his move to Spurs: "He broke into the team this season and to play at 17 in a really tough league shows a lot of character. He’s got a mature head on him for his young age and hopefully he can take that forward."
Having signed his first professional contract for the club in March 2022, Sayers was also selected to start in the mid-season clash with Motherwell during the World Cup break last year, with club insider John Wenham stating it was a sign of the "rapid progress" that had been made by arguably the club's "best academy defender".
What does the future hold for Charlie Sayers?
The U21 defender – who has made 17 appearances at that age group in total – will be looking to kick on from the great strides that he made during Conte's time in charge, having even trained with the first team in preparation for the Champions League tussle with AC Milan earlier this year.
Although the talk is that youth colleague Alfie Dorrington has already caught Postecoglou's eye, it may not be too long before Sayers is also making his mark in the senior ranks, with podcaster Chris Miller suggesting that there is "definitely something there" for a player who "can play out confidently" from his left-sided centre-back berth.
With Dier currently out in the cold, any injuries to either Van de Ven or Romero are likely to mean that Dorrington, Phillips or Sayers may be called upon to plug the gap, with there an opportunity for someone to stake their claim in the near future.
While such a dearth of senior options at centre-back could be of concern, having a figure like Sayers, in particular, waiting in the background is truly exciting indeed for those at Hotspur Way.
