Bent suggests Dier should sign for Everton – should the club consider him?

Darren Bent has suggested that Eric Dier would be a good signing for Everton.

The Tottenham defender-cum-central midfielder has fallen out of favour under Mauricio Pochettino, and has only managed one Premier League start for Spurs this season.

Speculation has suggested that the England international could be transfer listed by Spurs in January, and former England striker Bent believes Everton could be a viable destination for the 25-year old.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the forward also credited Manchester United and Leicester with being options for the former Sporting Lisbon academy youngster.

When asked about where Dier could move to if he left Spurs, Bent said:

I think Leicester would be a good one, they could get the best out of him, Everton, yeah, good.

Even someone like Manchester United could do with him, a holding midfielder – don’t play Fred there (as) a holding midfielder, he (Dier) plays holding, Pogba plays next to him where he can go and have a free role.

That wouldn’t be a bad signing for them because he is someone that knows his role, will sit there in front of the back four and give that back four protection.

Dier would be familiar with Everton, having joined their academy group on loan for 18 months in January 2011. Dier played ten times for Everton’s U18s, winning the 2010/11 U18 Premier League title with the club.

Would he be a good signing now though?

Read Everton Verdict

I couldn’t think of many more negative signings that Eric Dier, as a midfielder specifically, with all due respect. As a centre-back, Everton need to strengthen and he wouldn’t be the worst option, but not as a midfielder.

With Morgan Schneiderlin and Gylfi Sigurdsson, Everton’s main issue is already a lack of pace in the middle of the park. Limited mobility and an energy deficiency slows Everton’s game down, sucking out any momentum and Dier would do a similar job.

As a defensive midfielder, he would bring physicality and strength, but for the way Everton want to play he would likely prove to cumbersome and restrictive. As a defender, he is a potentially attractive prospect, but certainly not as a defender.