EXCLUSIVE: Postecoglou to promote Tottenham teen star Dorrington as Dier replacement

Steve Kay

16 Oct 2023 10:15 CDT
3 min read

Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham, 2023/24 — © ProShots

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is planning to promote defender Alfie Dorrington to the first-team squad should Spurs sell Eric Dier during the January transfer window, FootballTransfers can exclusively reveal.

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Our sources have already told us that the Australian is looking to strengthen his squad in defence, midfield and attack in the upcoming window. Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is a player who is admired at Spurs, as exclusively revealed previously.

Dier is one player who could be sacrificed, with The Times reporting that Sporting CP are monitoring the England centre-back, who emerged through the academy of the Portuguese side. He is yet to feature this season.

The introduction of the talented youngster would be one way of saving money to add to recruitment further forward, especially after Tottenham paid out an initial €40 million (£34.5m) for Netherlands international centre-back Micky van de Ven – with that fee potentially reaching €50m with add-ons.

Postecoglou and Tottenham have been linked to high-profile stars such as Edmond Tapsoba from Bayer Leverkusen and Mark Guehi of Crystal Palace, but these deals could be complicated by price and demand from the players for guaranteed first-team football.

Dorrington is, therefore, seen as a leading candidate to bolster the first team by Postecoglou.

The 18-year-old was from a stone’s throw away in neighbouring Enfield is highly regarded at his boyhood club and has already gained experience for the England U19 side.

Dorrington, who joined the club as a 13-year-old from Cockfosters FC, is seen as a player comfortable in possession and regarded as a star in the making at Tottenham.

He has featured five times in the Premier League 2 and once in the EFL Trophy for Spurs U21s, with the London side conceding three goals across those appearances.

Ange wants youth link

Postecoglou is a big advocate of bringing players from the academy into the first-team squad, previously saying while at Celtic: “I think it’s important having players who were brought up with this club. I mean, you just have to look at our captain. It’s not just for Callum McGregor it’s for our supporters to know that one of their own has gone from the terraces to on the pitch.”

Having lost one of their own in the form of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich earlier this season, Spurs may just have their next homegrown hero in Dorrington.