A former Tottenham Hotspur player has admitted he remained at the club for too long and was ‘absolutely desperate’ to leave.
Ange Postecoglou has proven to be a ruthless operator in the transfer market as he continues to build a side in his image.
Tottenham have already made some astute signings under the Aussie, with the likes of James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Micky van de Ven all hitting the ground running after joining the club last summer.
More recently, Timo Werner was brought in as short-term option in January and has impressed following his loan switch from RB Leipzig.
It’s fair to say that an overhaul of the squad was much needed after Postecoglou’s arrival and Tottenham have delivered on that front so far.
We’ve seen the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Harry Winks and Eric Dier all move on permanently.
Dier was the latest to depart as he secured a surprise switch to Bayern Munich in January ahead of his Spurs contract expiring this summer.
The Englishman had spent the best part of nine-and-a-half years in north London and many believed his departure was long overdue.
Eric Dier admits he was ‘desperate’ to leave Tottenham
During an interview on The Overlap with Gary Neville, Dier opened up about his decision to leave Spurs.
“Yeah, it was definitely time for me,” Dier responded when asked if he needed a move for his career. “It was probably six months too late if we’re honest.
“I had a fantastic time at Tottenham. I left very amicably and I always hope I can do that with people just in my life in general. I had a very, very good relationship with the club the whole time I was there.”
He added: “Personally, I treat football as football and the other side as business, especially because the club should treat a player like a business decision but a player can’t treat the club like a business decision.
“I knew my contract was finishing in a year’s time and I knew that I thought I’d be able to have better opportunities. I think I was proven right.
“I don’t know how much the manager had to do it with it at that point, obviously when a player has a year left the club wants to [sell].”
“I made it very clear to them that it was only if the right opportunity came to me otherwise I’m going to wait for what’s right for me,” Dier went on.
“I have a fantastic relationship with the club and Daniel because he really respects honesty and professionalism and I feel like I gave that to him for nine years. All my dealings with him, it was very easy, he knows I’m a straight-talker with him and he gives it back to me.”
When quizzed on his move to Bayern, Dier admitted that he jumped at the opportunity to join the German giants.
“There was a bit of back-and-forth in the summer and then leading up to January, it happened really quickly,” the former Spurs man said.
“I spoke to the manager here and I spoke to the club. For me, it was a no-brainer. I was absolutely desperate to come.”
Dier set to face Arsenal in Champions League clash
Alongside former Spurs star Harry Kane, Dier will be in action this evening at the Emirates Stadium.
Tottenham fans will be hoping to see the former Tottenham duo pile misery on their bitter rivals.
Dier missed out on Bayern’s 3-2 win at Heidenheim over the weekend but could return to the starting XI at Arsenal tonight.
READ MORE: What people in Germany are now saying about Harry Kane after Bayern Munich’s latest loss on Saturday