File picture of Tottenham’s Eric Dier, who is joining his old Tottenham teammate Harry Kane at Bayern Munich.
| Photo Credit: AP
Eric Dier is joining his old Tottenham teammate Harry Kane at Bayern Munich.
The England defender signed for Bayern on a six-month loan through to the end of the season Thursday. Tottenham said Bayern had the option to make the move permanent after that, while the German club referred to “the option for a further year.”
“This move is a dream come true for me, because as a child you want to play for a club like Bayern one day,” Dier said in a statement issued by Bayern. “Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world and has an incredible history. I want to help the team with my versatility in defense.”
Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund said the club had long aimed to sign Dier and indicated he expected the experienced defender to be a positive locker-room influence as well as a “valuable part of our defense.”
Tuchel had previously warned not to assume a deal was already done — a reference to how Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha arrived in Munich in September only for the transfer to collapse at the last minute — but this time things went smoothly.
Dier has played just four games this season for Tottenham, with his comparative lack of pace seen as a poor fit for manager Ange Postecoglou’s high defensive line. Dier’s only start of the season came in a 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton in November.
Dier’s arrival adds instant depth to a thin Bayern defense which has been depleted further by Kim Min-jae playing for South Korea at the Asian Cup this month. Dier mostly played as a defensive midfielder earlier in his career but Tuchel said he saw Dier nowadays as a “specialist” in central defense.
Dier has played 49 times for England, including at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and made his most recent appearance in April.