Speaking to talkSPORT, journalist Alex Crook has dropped a 'surprise' bit of possible exit news involving Tottenham Hotspur defender Matt Doherty.
The Lowdown: Doherty endures mixed first year at Spurs...
Signed in the summer of 2020 from Wolverhampton Wanderers for ex-Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, Doherty endured a mixed first full season at Tottenham.
The Republic of Ireland international started less Premier League games than fellow right-back Serge Aurier and was vilified by pundits in the press for some of his performances.
However, he hasn't been linked with an exit from Spurs until now, with the Lilywhites making as many as six players available for transfer in Serge Aurier, Davinson Sanchez, Moussa Sissoko, Lucas Moura, Erik Lamela and Toby Alderweireld (The Athletic).
The Latest: Crook drops 'surprise' bit of Doherty news...
Speaking to talkSPORT, Crook has now dropped a 'surprise' bit of possible exit news involving Doherty.
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Indeed, the reporter claims that new manager Nuno Espirito Santo could in fact deem him surplus-to-requirements despite their good relationship at Wolves.
"I've been told this morning that Eric Dier and Matt Doherty could also be surplus-to-requirements," Crook explained (via Twitter).
"Maybe that's a bit of a surprise in the case of Doherty, cause he performed so admirably under Nuno at Wolves."
The Verdict: Time to go?
Compared to Aurier, who has been made available for sale by Tottenham, the 29-year-old made far less tackles per 90 and less clearances over 2020/2021 whilst also proving less effective going forward (WhoScored).
The Ivorian also averaged more successful dribbles, key passes per 90 and shots on goal when compared to Doherty (WhoScored) - but we believe he could potentially shine again under Nuno, as he never really got a fair crack with Mourinho.
Doherty has been praised by Tottenham's head coach during their time together at Molineux, with Nuno once lauding him as 'fantastic' with a 'big heart' (wolves.co.uk).
You can't rule out Spurs' new manager getting the very best out of him again and a possible switch to his preferred 3-5-2 formation could utilise the defender effectively, as also believed by former England international Danny Mills.
In other news: 'News regarding Tottenham'...Sky Sports drop live TV transfer claim, find out more here.