Transfer update: Tottenham defender to leave North London for good

According to The Athletic's report yesterday, English center-back and Bayern Munich loanee Eric Dier will be joining the German giants on a permanent deal at the end of this season.

His January move included an option to extend the transfer, which David Ornstein writes has now been triggered, keeping Dier in Munich through the summer of 2025.

The 30-year-old Englishman made four Spurs appearances this season before joining Harry Kane at Bayern, where he has since made six appearances for 408 minutes of recorded play.

Since making his way to the Premier League in the summer of 2014, Dier has played 364 matches in a Spurs uniform across all competitions. It's a bitter-sweet moment for long-time supporters, but symbolic of the new direction the club are headed.

Under Ange Postecoglou's tactics, which includes a dangerously high-line at the back, Dier simply lacks the pace and ball-playing ability to keep up with the gaffer's demands. With the influx of defensive talent in Micky van de Ven, the Premier League's quickest player, along with Romanian footballer Radu Dragusin, the club still have a number of strong options to work with.

It's surprising to see veterans like Kane and Dier playing on the other side of Europe, especially considering the fact that just a year ago they were so integral for the North London side. However, this again is part of the revolution which Ange Postecoglou has brought to a side which finished the 22/23 season eighth in the table.

Fans will no doubt wish the defender all the best in his efforts with his new club and, at the same time, look onward with excitement at the bright future which the young talents and new management have brought to Tottenham.