Tottenham Hotspur central defender Eric Dier has told The Daily Mail that he thought about leaving the club in the summer of 2020.
Dier has said that he was not happy playing in midfield and was considering leaving Tottenham in the summer of 2020.
The England international has added that he changed his mind after head coach Jose Mourinho decided to play him in his preferred centre-back position.
The 26-year-old signed a new contract with Spurs in July 2020 and committed his future to the North London club until 2024.
Dier told The Daily Mail about a potential exit: “That was definitely on my mind. I didn’t feel like I was achieving what I wanted. When your contract starts to come to an end, you question if you’re part of the future.
“I had no desire to be at a club in the last year of my contract. The club knew the summer would see a decision made either way.”
The Englishman added: “After Chelsea he came to me. He just said: ‘Ok if you want to play centre back, now is your chance. Show me’.
“I thrived off that challenge. It was what I had wanted to hear. It was an opportunity. My main focus is always to be in a position competing to play. Feeling there’s a plan in place for me is important, too. They were the major factors in me deciding to stay here and I couldn’t be happier.”
Flourishing at centre-back
Dier has established himself as a key figure in defence for Tottenham and is playing well for the North London club at the moment.
According to WhoScored, the former Sporting Lisbon star has played nine times in the Premier League and 109 minutes in the Europa League for Spurs so far this campaign.
Tottenham are doing well at the moment. The North London club have emerged as genuine challengers for the Premier League title and have also progressed to the last-16 stage of the Europa League, and Dier has played an important part in that.
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