Eric Dier, who went to school in the Algarve, has signed a five-year deal at Tottenham after joining from Sporting Lisbon for €5 million.
The 20-year-old has previously been linked with a move to Manchester United. The north London side have seen off interest from Newcastle and West Ham to secure a five-year deal for the Englishman as Mauricio Pochettino adds more strength to a back-line that conceded fifty-one times last season.
Dier, speaking to the Spurs website said: “The reason I moved to Portugal was nothing to do with football – it was because of my family. We moved there when I was six, I got picked up by Sporting when I was eight 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. I enjoy watching Tottenham play because of their attacking style. I want to adapt quickly to the Premier League and do the best I can.”
The 20-year-old was born in Cheltenham and is the grandson of Ted Croker (former Secretary of the English Football Association) and great nephew of Peter Croker who played for Charlton Athletic.
By CHRIS WRIGHT
