Thomas Tuchel hails Eric Dier as an 'EXCELLENT signing' for Bayern Munich and admits he has 'exceeded expectations' since joining former Spurs team-mate Harry Kane in Germany

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Thomas Tuchel gushed with praise for Eric Dier as he hailed him as an 'excellent signing' for Bayern Munich.

Eyebrows were hoisted up when Bayern signed Dier on loan from Tottenham in January but he has already become one of their key players. 

Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano are feeding off scraps of game time because a man who had played in just four games all season at Spurs has arrived, stunned, and usurped them. 

Dier's loan has been made permanent and alongside Harry Kane he is in with a chance of winning the Champions League. 

'Eric Dier has been an excellent signing. I’m extremely pleased with him,' manager Tuchel said. 

Thomas Tuchel has hailed Eric Dier as an 'excellent signing' for Bayern Munich 

Dier has become a key component of the team and is staying with them permanently  

The 30-year-old has settled into life in Germany well and is enjoying his football 

'He's absolutely exceeded expectations. He's an extremely important piece of the jigsaw. He's organised, vocal, which we've not had as much. I’m very happy.' 

Since breaking into the starting line-up for Die Roten, he has started 13 of 15 games and Bayern have never looked back. 

After helping Bayern knock Arsenal out of the Champions League 3-2 on aggregate, Dier was exhilarated to get one up over his old rivals.

'It was nice to knock them out, to be honest,' he said.

''These are the nights that you you want to be a part of and to play for this club play here in a quarter-final and experience that was was amazing.

'And we're just really happy that we got through.'

Such is his renaissance that Dier thinks he has a decent shot of making England's Euro 2024 squad. 

'If I am playing for a club like Bayern and if I am playing well, I should have a good chance. Why not?' he said in March. He has only enhanced his case since then.

He has found his feet with Harry Kane at Bayern after playing just four times for Spurs in the first half of the season 

He continued: 'The national team is a really simple thing. You try to play as well as possible for your club and everything else is out of your control. 'I have not spoken to Gareth but it is up to me to play well.'

Dier has not played for England since he featured as a substitute against Senegal in the last 16 of the Qatar World Cup.

He has already survived one major drought in his England career. Almost two years passed between appearances in November 2020 and September 2022, when he forced his way back into Southgate's thinking.

The 30-year-old was an unused substitute in the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine in March last year. 

With his deal at bayern running until 2025, Dier has the chance to win some trophies.

Despite missing out on the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, he still has a shot at the Champions League. Bayern Munich face Real Madrid in the semi-finals. And then there will be next season, a spring of new opportunities.