FC Bayern have bolstered their defensive options by bringing Eric Dier to Munich from Tottenham Hotspur
During the current season, Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel has already had to experiment with one or two defensive options and has repeatedly called for changes in this area of the team during the winter transfer window.
The coach has now been heard by the Munich management: as virtually confirmed on Thursday morning, the German record champions have brought in Eric Dier, a hard-nosed and experienced defender from the Premier League. He has signed a loan contract in Munich until the end of the season, with an option to buy for a further year. Dier will be given shirt number 15 at the record champions.
“We are delighted that we have been able to sign Eric Dier,” said sporting director Christoph Freund in a club statement: “He has played a role in our considerations for this transfer period for some time. Eric will be a valuable part of our defense. His athletic ability and international experience will help the team both on the pitch and in the dressing room. “
The 29-year-old Englishman has been a fixture at Tottenham Hotspur in recent years, playing 329 competitive matches (twelve goals) for the Londoners. Since making his international debut in November 2015, he has also played 49 games for the Three Lions, in which the 1.88-metre, 86-kilo Dier has scored three times.
The player revealed that his move was “a dream come true, because even as a child you want to play for clubs like FC Bayern one day. FC Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world and has an incredible history.” He himself wants to “help his new team with my versatility in defense” and he is also “looking forward to the fans in the Allianz Arena, which in my eyes is one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world”.
At Tottenham, Dier mainly played in the center of defence, sometimes in a back three, but he has also gained a lot of experience in a back four. His last appearance for Spurs, for whom he only made four Premier League appearances in the current round under new coach Ange Postecoglou, came on the last day of 2023 in a 3-1 win over Bournemouth, where he made a brief seven-minute cameo appearance.
Training at Sporting – reunion with Kane
Dier, who trained at Sporting Lisbon and made his professional debut for the Portuguese club in the summer of 2012, will reunite with his long-time Spurs colleague Harry Kane in Munich. He also experienced his sporting highlight to date with the Munich goalscorer: the 2019 Champions League final in Madrid, which Tottenham lost 2-0 to Liverpool FC.
With Dier, Tuchel now has several nominal options in the center of defense again, as he has three experienced central defenders at his disposal in Matthijs de Ligt, Dayot Upamecano and Min-Jae Kim (currently at the Asian Cup) as well as a talented player in Tarek Buchmann.