As the Tanguy Ndombele excitement builds amongst Tottenham fans, it might not all be plain sailing. The most recent article on his impending move came from The Sun and the story also claimed his arrival may see Eric Dier leave North London this summer.

This is one that could potentially split the fan base. From a nostalgic point of view, Eric Dier has been at the club throughout the entire Mauricio Pochettino era, with the versatile defensive midfielder being the man to score the first competitive goal after his arrival, a late winner away at West Ham.

However, when you look at the England man's talents it's hard to see a way in which he fits the mould of a Tottenham star in the current regime.

When you compare that trio, Dier, Ndombele and Moussa Sissoko, the England man comes out comprehensively 3rd. Using WhoScored's player comparison tool, Dier ranks last of that trio in assists, pass completion per 90 minutes, times dribbled past per 90 minutes and key passes per game. Added to that is the fact he's picked up more bookings than the other two and also averages fewer key passes.

Getting away from pure statistics, Dier doesn't exactly have pundits on his side either. The England and Tottenham man came under fire when Ray Parlour took aim at him back in September. The Arsenal legend questioned what Dier brings to the table when he plays in midfield, via TalkSport, and it's hard to argue with him when looking at last season's contribution.

The midfielder is on wages of around £60,000 p/w, Spotrac, and the club could have avoided having to offload him this summer had they been savvier and shipped him off in 2017 when Manchester United took an interest in the £36m rated star, valuation via Transfermarkt. Instead, the Lilywhites slapped a £50m price tag on his head which United ultimately failed to match, according to The Guardian.

Having made only 20 league appearances last season (though injuries did play their part) and Pochettino previously speaking of a 'painful' rebuild, perhaps it's the right time to bid farewell to one of their key men during the early part of his project in north London.

Tottenham fans, would you be happy to see Dier leave? Let us know, comment below!