Tottenham Hotspur's best and worst performances of the current Premier League campaign arrived within the space of a week, with the emphatic 4-0 triumph at Aston Villa followed by a dismal 3-0 loss against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The discordancy on show last weekend seemed to be a startling regression in the usual entertainment provided under Ange Postecoglou's management, especially given that victory would have seen Spurs reclaim a place in the top four.
Thankfully, Aston Villa drew away against West Ham United one day later, with the fourth-placed team now three points ahead having played a game extra.
Postecoglou will have been left puzzled as his squad trundled to a seventh league defeat of the season, but one obvious point of importance was the absence of centre-back Micky van de Ven, who was withdrawn at Villa Park after injuring his hamstring. It's nothing serious, but it was grave enough to leave Tottenham nursing a bruising loss without his presence.
Radu Dragusin was signed from Genoa for £27m in January for this very reason but he flattered to deceive on his first Premier League start, caught out by the in-form Rodrigo Muniz and lacking the requisite composure and ease in his ball-playing.
4/10 Spurs star was even worse than Dragusin vs Fulham
Tottenham missed the chance to move into the top four as they were brushed aside at Craven Cottage.
The England international signed from Sporting Lisbon for around £4m in 2014 and chalked up 365 appearances for the club before his sale, scoring 13 goals and providing 12 assists, but there's no question that it was time to move on – especially when considering his salary.
Branded a “liability” by writer Mitch Fretton, Dier earned £85k-per-week at Tottenham following his final renewal in 2020, and when considering his £4m fee alongside his total wages, Dier cost the club a ballpark £34m, steadily draining chairman Daniel Levy.
Eric Dier
£85k-per-week
Pedro Porro
£85k-per-week
Guglielmo Vicario
£75k-per-week
Rodrigo Bentancur
£75k-per-week
Destiny Udogie
£75k-per-week
Yves Bissouma
£55k-per-week
Micky van de Ven
£50k-per-week
The fact that he was taking home £35k-per-week more than Van de Ven, who's been utterly mesmerising since walking through the Tottenham doors, is astounding.
Sure, the Dutchman is only 22 years old and will undoubtedly be rewarded with a new bumper package at some point, but he is already considered one of the Premier League's best centre-backs after signing from German side Wolfsburg for £43m in August.
The athletic ace also ranks among the top 3% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 1% for successful take-ons, the top 16% for progressive carries and the top 25% for progressive passes per 90.
Ultimately, Dier's time was up at Tottenham and while he must be commended for his commitment and years of service to the club, Postecoglou is building a new era that might just end a long wait for silverware, and it was necessary to ship the Three Lions man on.