In seasons gone by, Tottenham have been powerless to stop key players from leaving. Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane left for Manchester United and Liverpool, respectively, in the same summer, while there was no stopping Luka Modric and Gareth Bale departing for Real Madrid. The promise of success and playing at a higher level convinced the quartet to leave Spurs, though as Keane found out, the grass is not always greener on the other side.
Fast forward to the present day and while Spurs' key players have all been linked with a big money move away from North London, it's possible that the only first team regular to leave this summer will be Kyle Walker, and even he is the perhaps the most expendable member of the immediate starting XI.
Progress under Mauricio Pochettino means Spurs are far more resilient in the transfer market. Teams can't simply swoop in and sign their top talent on a whim, with the team moving in the right direction. The key players evidently want to play a part in the club's bright future.
You only have to look at the club's stance on Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier - three core English players - to note how determined Spurs are in retaining their key men, despite rumoured interest in Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United for the trio in recent months. The latter are even thought to have made a bid for Dier in January, only to be rebuffed in their efforts to sign the 23-year-old. Spurs insist the defender-cum-midfielder-cum-defender is not for sale, which not only highlights their resolve to retain the youngster's services, but his importance to the team.
A £4m capture from Sporting Club, no Spurs fan imagined his rise through the ranks being so prominent nor so rapid. He endeared himself to supporters with the winning goal in a 1-0 win over West Ham on his debut and continued to go from strength to strength under Pochettino. However, it’s his versatility that offers Spurs another dimension in their current system. Their flexible approach within games is made possible through Dier, particularly when he plays in midfield. As a defender by trade, his natural inclination is to drop deeper, which allows the centre-backs - regularly Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld - to split and Dier to drop in between the pair.
This then allows for the full-backs to push forward and stretch opponents, safe in the knowledge there is sufficient cover at the back to deny teams. This may be part of the reason why Pochettino elected to deploy a three-man defence on more than one occasion last season.
The arrival of Victor Wanyama forced Dier back to defence, but the youngster is too good for a place on the bench. By deploying a back three, Pochettino was able to accommodate Dier, Wanyama and Mousa Dembele in the starting XI without impacting Spurs’ attacking influence.
In a three-man defence, Spurs scored on average 2.8 goals per game and conceded just 0.8 times per league match, with Dier’s performances at the back crucial to their defensive solidity as averages of 1.3 tackles, 1 interception and 4.1 clearances per game suggest. It’s his ability when in possession, though, where he excels, particularly in the system Pochettino favours. Only Jan Vertongen (62.2) made more passes per game than Dier (55) of all Spurs players last season, while a pass success rate of 86.7% was the fourth best for the north London side.
There are still rough edges to his game - only Simon Francis (6) committed more errors that led to an opposition shot than Dier (5) in the Premier League last season, but these can be smoothed out, with Pochettino the ideal manager to bring the Englishman on. It’s no surprise that United were reportedly willing to spend upwards of £40m to bring Dier to Old Trafford, yet Spurs’ reluctance to sell the player is commendable and further reiterates his significance to Pochettino and the club. That £4m spent to secure his services is looking more and more a bargain with each passing season.
