‘You never know’ – Spurs player refuses to close the door on a return to his old club

Eric Dier has decided to keep his cards close to his chest when asked about a potential return to Sporting Lisbon but admitted that he still has great affection for the Portuguese club.

The one thing that appears to be certain at the moment is the fact that this is Dier’s last season at Tottenham, with the centre-back’s current deal running out next summer (Transfermarkt).

Various reports have continued to suggest that the centre-back would prefer to leave as a free agent next summer so that he has more options to choose from while Spurs would prefer to offload him in January so that they can get a fee for him (Mirror).

One of the clubs credited with an interest in Dier is Sporting, with The Times claiming last month that the Portuguese club are exploring a move to re-sign the defender in January.

The outlet added that the Tottenham man has a good relationship with the club’s current president, Frederico Varandas, and is keen on the idea of playing abroad.

Will Eric Dier return to Sporting Lisbon?

Dier has now said that while he would love to live in Portugal when his career is over, he admitted that he is not sure if a potential return to the Lions is on the cards

The England international said (via SAPO): “If my wife wants to, I’ll almost certainly go back to Portugal to live. This is where I want to live when my career is over. 

“To play, I don’t know. In football, you never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next. Sporting is my club, my home. It’s my only club where I spent 12 years, from 8 to 20. It will always be my home.”

Spurs Web Opinion

If Sporting do offer Dier a three or four-year deal next summer, one would think that the centre-back would be tempted to accept it, given the special place the club has in his heart.

Perhaps one of the reasons why he wants to run his contract down and leave as a free agent is to potentially open up the chance to return to the Portuguese club.