Dier & a Spurs team in 2 years
Eric Dier played his first game in a Tottenham shirt against Schalke at White Hart Lane in a 2-1 win. It was the first time many fans had seen him and they couldn't help but be impressed.
He looked assured even though he was very nervous. For a sportsman nerves are no bad thing, it's how you channel that nervous energy that sets you apart from others. Eric Dier channelled it in the right way and produced a very encouraging performance.
He will be brought along slowly, getting domestic cup games and Europa League group stage games. Premier League time will be more difficult to come by but he'll be introduced, how much depends upon who we have as centre-backs when the window closes. At the moment it's impossible to say who our centre-backs will be.
Kaboul only has a year on his contract so if we want a fee he has to be sold now or offered a contract. Vlad Chiriches hasn't figured at all during pre-season which suggests he is being sold and the club have offered Michael Dawson for sale. Mateo Musacchio is, as with all our deals, taking it's time to finalise. If and when he arrives two of three will need to be sold with Zeki Fryers adding additional cover.
Dier wanted to come to the Premier League and refused contracts that would put a big release clause in so he could leave Sporting for sensible money. For the Sporting chairman not to even wish him well when he saw him was childish.
He looked assured even though he was very nervous. For a sportsman nerves are no bad thing, it's how you channel that nervous energy that sets you apart from others. Eric Dier channelled it in the right way and produced a very encouraging performance.
He will be brought along slowly, getting domestic cup games and Europa League group stage games. Premier League time will be more difficult to come by but he'll be introduced, how much depends upon who we have as centre-backs when the window closes. At the moment it's impossible to say who our centre-backs will be.
Kaboul only has a year on his contract so if we want a fee he has to be sold now or offered a contract. Vlad Chiriches hasn't figured at all during pre-season which suggests he is being sold and the club have offered Michael Dawson for sale. Mateo Musacchio is, as with all our deals, taking it's time to finalise. If and when he arrives two of three will need to be sold with Zeki Fryers adding additional cover.
Dier wanted to come to the Premier League and refused contracts that would put a big release clause in so he could leave Sporting for sensible money. For the Sporting chairman not to even wish him well when he saw him was childish.
"I am really excited to be joining such a big club. It has always been my ambition and my dream to come back to England and play in the Premier League.
"The reason I moved to Portugal was nothing to do with football - it was because of my family. We moved there when I was 6, I got picked up by Sporting when I was 8 and I went through their youth system, all the way to the first team.
"It is kind of a strange background and everyone seems surprised by it. But it just happened that way really. At the beginning it was hard because I didn't really speak the language. I was seen as a bit of an outsider.
"But after I picked up the language when I was 12 or 13, it was really easy. I don't think they saw me as English - they pretty much saw me like one of their own.
"The Premier League was still the only league I watched really. It is on television in Portugal and it is the biggest league in the world in my opinion. Obviously I've watched a lot of Tottenham, and I've always enjoyed the way they play, their attacking football.
"I think, coming from Portugal, that suits me and this season I just want to adapt really quickly to the Premier League and do the best I can."
That was Dier speaking to the official site the other day and after such an encouraging debut that goal is one step nearer. He may well adapt fast but for now needs game time alongside an experienced defender. We mustn't forget of course that Mauricio Pochetino was an international centre-back himself so knows a thing or two about defending.
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Dier (20) will need an experienced Premier League defender as well which will mean Vertonghen (talk of Man U coming after him now) and Dawson or Kaboul staying. The club can't leave itself with 2 new to the league centre-backs, one successful experienced one and one who has failed so one of Dawson or Kaboul must remain for another season.
He showed that being older his development is ahead of Milos Veljkovic (18) at the moment, although whether he is going to eventually be a centre-back or holding midfielder there will still be some debate about. They could though be the eventual centre-back pairing for the next 10 years in a couple of season, which would give us a goal to build a team around.
Danny Rose (24) looked good, Ben Davies (21) is young, Walker (24), Fredericks (21), Fryers (21), Carroll (22), Mason (23), Ceballos (21), Bentaleb (19), Eriksen (22), Lamela (22), Holtby (23), Townsend (23) Kane (21) again all young plus Yedlin (21) and Musacchio (23) when they both arrive.
Jump forward 2 years and you could be looking at a young side who have grown and developed together in a style of football they all know.
We could see a team with a keeper of:
Lloris (29)
with as back up:
Vorm (32)
a defence of:
Walker (26), Musacchio (25), Dier (22), Davies (23)
with as back up:
Yedlin (23) or Fredericks (23), Veljkovic (20), Fryers (23), Rose (26)
a holding midfield of:
Bentaleb (21), Mason (25)
with as back up:
Carroll (24)
the three behind the lone striker of:
Holtby (25), Eriksen (24), Lamela (24)
with as back up:
Townsend (25)
and up front:
Kane (23)
There will be more to add to the mix of course. We have players out on loan like Alex Pritchard (21) who would hope to be figuring by then but if a manager is to plan ahead he must be looking two years down the line and say OK where will be then.
You develop and watch development weeding out those who are not going to make the level you want and add in others to replace them. All the time is a structure you are working towards though rather than a let's see who we end up with approach to development.
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