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Tottenham Hotspur: Matt Doherty shuts down exit rumours
Tottenham defender Matt Doherty has shut down rumours that he nearly left the club before his resurgence under Antonio Conte.
The Lowdown: Doherty’s resurgence at Spurs
The 30-year-old had endured a tough start to life in north London since arriving from Wolves in 2020. For the most part, the Republic of Ireland international has been in and out of the team, failing to string together a number of consistent performances in a Lilywhites shirt.
However, under Conte, the right-back has begun to excel. As a result, he has become the Italian’s first-choice right wing-back, starting Tottenham’s last six Premier League games.
The Latest: Doherty’s claims
A plethora of rumours emerged last summer and in January detailing Doherty’s potential exit from Hotspur Way, but the Irishman has now put these firmly to bed.
As quoted by football.london, he claimed:
“I didn’t come close, I never had a conversation, nothing was ever said to me. From my point of view I was led to believe that I wasn’t going anywhere. I don’t know if that’s the case, that is what my point of view was. You have thoughts at times that it wasn’t working out, I just decided that I wanted to train hard and I wanted to play here.
“Why would I want to go anywhere apart from Tottenham? I thought if I keep training hard and I keep doing what the manager wants the opportunity would come and it would be up to me to grasp the opportunity and at the moment I seem to be doing that well.”
Will Tottenham finish in the top 4 this season?
Yes
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The Verdict: Fantastic turnaround
Doherty’s transformation at Spurs will come as a huge sigh of relief for the manager. Throughout his tenure in N17, Conte has been critical of his options at right wing-back, suggesting that he needed a replacement in January.
This sparked Tottenham’s pursuit of Adama Traore, on whom they eventually missed out to La Liga giants Barcelona. However, with Doherty’s recent resurgence, Conte’s problem now appears to be solved.
Therefore, the 52-year-old will be hoping that the Irishman can maintain this form, so that he has one less issue to worry about in the summer.
In other news: Pete O’Rourke drops Andrea Belotti to Spurs transfer claim
