Eric Dier has admitted that he was considering his options at Tottenham, prior to changing position.
The 26-year-old has opened up on how he considered leaving the club in the summer, before changing his mind after being played in his preferred position of centre-back by Jose Mourinho.
Indeed, Dier then signed a new contract in July, committing his future to the north London club for the next four years.
Since then, he has become a regular in the side at centre-back, with Dier impressing in the Tottenham side so far this season as Spurs have won six of their first ten games in the Premier League this season.
But, ahead of facing north London rivals Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend, Dier has spoken about how he was feeling after finding himself in and out of the team as a midfielder.
“That was definitely on my mind," Dier told The Daily Mail about a potential exit.
"I didn’t feel like I was achieving what I wanted. When your contract starts to come to an end, you question if you’re part of the future.
“I had no desire to be at a club in the last year of my contract. The club knew the summer would see a decision made either way.”
And Dier has admitted that a conversation with Mourinho was key to his decision to stay, with the England international going on to prove his worth in defence.
“After Chelsea he [Mourinho] came to me. He just said: ‘Ok if you want to play centre back, now is your chance. Show me’," he said.
“I thrived off that challenge. It was what I had wanted to hear. It was an opportunity. My main focus is always to be in a position competing to play. Feeling there’s a plan in place for me is important, too. They were the major factors in me deciding to stay here and I couldn’t be happier.”
