The 4th Official
·26 August 2020
The 4th Official
·26 August 2020
According to a recent report by Football.London, Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are said to have identified Wolves right-back Matt Doherty as a good option to acquire during the summer window. The report suggests that Tottenham are keen on the talented Irishman’s services and that Jose Mourinho is a fan of the speedster’s abilities. The London club have already completed the acquisitions of both Joe Hart and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg so far, with Doherty potentially becoming their third signing this summer.
Although the report has clarified that Tottenham are interested in Wolves right-back Matt Doherty, whether or not Jose Mourinho can lure the full-back to north London remains to be seen. Despite the massive interest, Spurs’ most significant stumbling block in the deal is reportedly expected to come in the form of Wolves manager Nuno Espírito Santo, who is a big fan of all the quality that Doherty offers down the right flank. With Mourinho’s side said to be willing to allow Serge Aurier’s departure as well, the signing of an alternate option in the role is an absolute necessity this summer.
One of the biggest positions of concern in Mourinho’s side right now is at full-back, and unless they can address that issue in the weeks prior to the start of next season, the 20/21 Premier League campaign could completely fall apart.
The sale of Kyle Walker-Peters to Southampton last season saw the London club lose their only backup right-back option. After that point, the manager was forced to depend entirely on Ivorian speedster Serge Aurier. As good as he is, there is no denying that Aurier is much more comfortable going forward than defending, and that has developed into a real issue at Spurs.
Aurier’s explosive pace and sensational crossing ability have been useful on various instances for Mourinho’s side. Still, in the event of the Ivorian having a bad game, the lack of options to replace him with is a massive problem, to say the least. Japhet Tanganga was deployed there on a couple of occasions while versatile French midfielder Moussa Sissoko was also forced to operate down that flank on certain instances. For a team aspiring to compete in both the Premier League and Europe, going into a new campaign with just one singular option to choose from in any role must be considered the ideal recipe for disaster.
Ever since Wolves got promoted to the Premier League, one of the most consistent performers in the top-flight has undoubtedly been Irish speedster Matt Doherty. Having performed at the same level for two years now, there’s no need to question the Wolves man’s pedigree. The defender made a whopping 50 appearances for Wolves across all competitions last season, and his influence on their attacking play simply cannot be underplayed. Capable of leaving any defender for dead on his day and delivering inch-perfect crosses into the area, it’s not at all surprising that Mourinho has identified the former Bohemians man as a good option.
Lack of consistency has been this London club’s biggest issue over the last couple of seasons, and midway through the previous campaign, Mauricio Pochettino was forced to pay the price for just that. Despite Jose Mourinho’s arrival and some early signs of revival under the Portuguese mastermind’s control, things went back to square one pretty quickly for Spurs. The fact that Mourinho didn’t have a full summer window to impart his identity onto the side must be taken into consideration, which means that a lot will be expected of them this time around. Aurier’s place in the side has been under scrutiny for a while now, and Wolves man Doherty could turn out to be the ideal replacement for Spurs.