Tottenham Transfer News: Latest Max Meyer Rumours, Arsenal Rejected Eric Dier

Arsenal legend Tony Adams has disclosed the club rejected the chance to sign Eric Dier for just £5 million before he eventually joined rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Meanwhile, Spurs' chances of signing Schalke's Max Meyer are reportedly looking up.

Speaking to The Times (h/t Metro), Adams revealed he recommended Dier—who was still at Sporting Lisbon—to the Gunners in 2012, but Arsenal "felt he was too slow for the Premier League":

"I recommended Eric Dier to Arsenal. I did the England Under-19s with Blakey [Noel Blake] in 2012, and phoned [Arsenal scout] Steve Rowley and said, 'Dier's head and shoulders above any English player in this camp. Do it now. £5million.'

"I knew the get-out clause at Sporting. Steve said that Arsenal's Portuguese scout said he was a bit one-paced. So Arsenal didn't. They did get Calum Chambers for £17m — no disrespect to Calum. Spurs got Dier, pushed him into midfield, maybe he hasn't got the aggression, but in the modern game now, you don't need to be aggressive so he'll probably end up the perfect central defender."

Dier ended up joining Tottenham for a reported £4 million just two years after Arsenal rejected the opportunity, and he's since made his England debut and played a role in Spurs' rise up the Premier League ranks.

Valuable as a central defender or in a deep-lying midfield role, WhoScored.com depicted just what a talent Dier holds as a passing metronome under manager Mauricio Pochettino:

In fact, a player of his description may not go astray at the Emirates Stadium at present, with manager Arsene Wenger still yet to find this generation's answer to Patrick Vieira in his midfield.

Spurs blogger Chris Miller has questioned where Dier currently fits in the current Tottenham hierarchy, however, with the former Sporting star not yet cemented in the north Londoners' lineup:

Elsewhere, Meyer has reportedly granted Spurs further freedom in their hunt for his signature after rejecting a new deal at the Veltins-Arena. Speaking to German daily Bild (h/t Sport Witness), he said: "I have an offer to extend, but with my management I decided not to accept it."

Pochettino boasts a glittering array of attacking midfield talent already, but the addition of Meyer could offer another presence with acute passing ability, as illustrated by Football Radars: 

Meyer's current Schalke contract expires in one year, meaning the Miners now face the unenviable choice of splitting with one of their prized assets now or waiting until he's able to leave for free in 2018.

Spurs will undoubtedly hope the puzzle pieces begin to match up soon following Meyer's plans to not extend his stay with Schalke, with the only question remaining as to how much the German club requires to part ways.