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Tottenham Hotspur confirm four player exits as long-serving defenders depart

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 05 June 2024

Tottenham confirm four player exits as long-serving defenders depart

Tottenham Hotspur confirm that four players will be leaving the club at the expiration of their contracts, including long-serving defenders Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga.

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that four players will be leaving the club at the expiration of their contracts this month.

The Lilywhites have technically already bid farewell to Eric Dier and Ivan Perisic, who left the club in January for Bayern Munich and Hajduk Split respectively on initial loan deals.

However, as both defenders were out of contract at the end of the season, their loans for the second half of the campaign were expected to spell the end of their time in North London.

Dier has become a mainstay in the Bayern backline, and the German champions had already confirmed that the Englishman would be remaining at the Allianz Arena for the 2024-25 campaign.

Meanwhile, Perisic was nursing a devastating ACL injury when he went back to his homeland in January, but he returned to competitive action in April and has been called up to Croatia's Euro 2024 squad following his recovery.

Tottenham Hotspur's Ryan Sessegnon on January 5, 2024 © Reuters

Ryan Sessegnon, Japhet Tanganga leave on free transfers

Dier departs Tottenham after a 10-year stint in the white shirt since joining from Sporting Lisbon in 2014, during which time he transitioned from a defensive midfielder to a competent central defender.

The 30-year-old - who was a former favourite of Antonio Conte - registered 13 goals and 12 assists in 365 matches for the North London giants, but after falling down Ange Postecoglou's pecking order, he failed to make England's Euro 2024 squad.

As for Perisic, the ex-Inter Milan wing-back contributed one goal and 14 assists in his 50 matches for Tottenham following his 2022 signing on a free transfer, setting up more goals than any other Spurs player (12) in the 2022-23 season.

In addition to Dier and Perisic, Tottenham have also announced that two Englishmen in Ryan Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga will officially leave the club when their contracts run out on June 30.

Twenty-four-year-old Sessegnon has failed to fulfil his potential at Tottenham, thanks in no small part to a string of injuries, as he made just one senior appearance in the 2023-24 season either side of two hamstring surgeries.

Tottenham Hotspur's Japhet Tanganga applauds fans after the match against Manchester City on August 15, 2021 © Reuters

Spurs paid £23m to bring Sessegnon to the club from Fulham in 2019, but he only managed 57 appearances for the North London giants in that time, registering three goals and four assists.

Meanwhile, Tanganga's exit brings an end to the centre-back's 15-year spell at Tottenham, during which time he progressed from the academy ranks to make a half-century of appearances for the club, registering one assist.

What next for Tanganga and Sessegnon after Tottenham exits?

Tanganga's 2023-24 season was one of two halves for the 25-year-old, who did not feature once for Augsburg but found regular game time with Millwall in the Championship, scoring twice in 18 appearances.

A permanent move to The Den is believed to have been agreed some time ago, and it is now only a matter of time before Millwall confirm the signing of Tanganga, whom Tottenham decided against triggering a 12-month contract extension for.

Sessegnon's future is more unclear as he recuperates from his latest thigh injury, but Fulham are supposedly interested in re-signing their former academy starlet.