Jose Mourinho wants to sign Tottenham player who he once publicly apologised to
AS Roma boss Jose Mourinho is reportedly keen to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier, a player he once publicly apologised to.
The 29-year-old has fallen out of favour under Ange Postecoglou at Spurs. He’s yet to play a single minute of football this season, and all signs point towards an exit in January. A reunion with Mourinho could well be on the cards.
Jose Mourinho once publicly apologised to Tottenham’s Eric Dier
Eric Dier was a key player at Tottenham under every single manager before Postecoglou – even under Jose Mourinho when he was at the helm.
The Englishman played 57 times under the Special One and was rarely ever substituted.
However, in one unfortunate game against Olympiacos in the Champions League back in November 2019, Mourinho did something that no player would be happy with – he substituted Dier after just 29 minutes.
That’s because the Greek giants had gone 2-0 up by that point, and the then-Spurs boss believed he needed to put an attacker on to salvage the game. That move worked – Tottenham ended up winning 4-2.
Speaking after the game, Mourinho revealed that it really hurt him to take Dier off before the half-hour mark. He then publicly apologised to the Englishman.
He said at the time, as per the Independent: “The most difficult moment of the game for me was when I made the change in the first half. It hurt the player but hurt myself. It’s not easy for the player, but also not easy for myself.
“It’s important that the player understands, and I was lucky that my choice was with a very intelligent boy and a boy that has very good understanding of what a team is, because I did it for the team. I needed at that time a second creative player. I had to do it for the team.
“I apologise for Eric. He knows I did it for the team and not with an intention to hurt him.”
A potential reunion in Rome
According to a report from Calciomercato, Mourinho is eyeing a January move to sign Dier from Tottenham.
It is clear as day at this point that the Englishman has no future at Spurs. Postecoglou clearly doesn’t fancy him, and the best move for all parties would be an exit in the winter window.
A move to Roma would be great for Dier. He’ll be able to play under a manager who trusts him and in a league where the pace and intensity aren’t quite on the same level as the Premier League.
It will be interesting to see what Dier will do in January, but we can really see this happening if Mourinho wants him.
