Soccer Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 3, 2022 Tottenham Hotspur's Matt Doherty celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/David Klein EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Alasdair Gold has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur are in advanced talks with Atletico Madrid to loan out Matt Doherty.
The Lowdown: Spurs looking to trim their squad
Antonio Conte has insisted in the past that he needs several transfer windows to get this Tottenham squad to where he needs it to be, and while many may have thought of that from an incoming point of view, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
That is because Spurs have already sanctioned the temporary exit of Bryan Gil, who’d started just two league games under Conte this season, while both Djed Spence and Doherty now look to follow a similar path.
The latter has perhaps come out of nowhere – especially given it’s Atletico Madrid who want him – but considering he’s only started seven league games in the league this season, the Irishman was likely keen for more regular first-team football.
The Latest: Doherty set for temporary exit
Doherty was signed back in 2020 for £15m, but having made just 29 league starts in that time, his future – at least in the short term – looks to be away from Tottenham, as Gold has confirmed.
He said: “I said yesterday that Djed Spence had turned down a loan to Atletico Madrid as he wanted more regular football at Rennes. Understand Spurs are now in advanced talks for Matt Doherty to head to Atletico instead. Straight loan with no option or obligation to buy at this stage.”
The Verdict: Conte happy for departures
Gold had previously spoken in his live Q&A blog about how one of Emerson Royal or Matt Doherty could be set for a deadline day move, and that looks to be true with Emerson the one being trusted by Conte to stick around until at least the summer.
While sanctioning two exits for players that can operate in the same position at right wing-back may well appear bizarre, the fact Spurs have Ivan Perisic, Emerson and will shortly also have Pedro Porro, they needed to trim the squad.
This period of time could well be what Doherty needs to get his form back and impress potential suitors ahead of a summer move, with this loan deal not said to have any option or obligation to buy at the end of the season.
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