Tottenham will still be without Eric Dier for this afternoon’s meeting with Wolves, Alasdair Gold reports.
The Lowdown: Dier’s absence
Dier had been a regular during the current campaign under both Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte, featuring in every Premier League game prior to the New Year.
However, the 28-year-old has missed seven of the last eight fixtures in all competitions with a thigh problem, making a brief return against Chelsea last month.
Conte revealed in the week that Dier’s issue isn’t serious, but despite that, he won’t be making a return against Wolves.
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The Latest: Conte’s comments
As shared by Gold, Conte confirmed less than 48 hours before kick-off that Dier isn’t fit.
The Italian labelled it as a ‘big loss’ and added that he hopes to see him back against Manchester City next week.
The Verdict: Bad news
Spurs haven’t kept a clean sheet with Dier out, so his continued absence is a major blow for Conte.
No other Spurs defender to have made more than one appearance has made more clearances or committed fewer fouls than Dier, averaging a better match rating than Ben Davies, Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon, as per WhoScored.
On that basis, you would include Dier as one of the club’s best three centre-backs, however, Conte won’t be able to call upon him once again.
In other news: Paratici now offers Spurs pre-contract to ‘extraordinary’ ace with two big financial incentives.