Tottenham Hotspur defender Matt Doherty left the club on a free transfer during the January transfer window.
The 31-year-old Republic of Ireland defender has joined Atletico Madrid on a free transfer after Tottenham decided to terminate his contract.
Initially, Spurs wanted to send the player out on loan but they were unable to do so because the Premier League side already have the maximum number of players out on international loan as per FIFA regulations.
They were forced to terminate the contract of Doherty so that the defender can leave in search of regular first-team action.
Reflecting on the decision from the London club, popular journalist Alasdair Gold has now claimed that it was a chaotic move from Tottenham and the decision is unlikely to go down well with key players like Harry Kane and Eric Dier.
Apparently, Doherty enjoyed a close relationship with the Tottenham duo and they won’t be delighted with the club’s decision to terminate his contract.
“An absolutely chaotic deal. Matt Doherty has ended up at one of the biggest clubs in the world. He’s done well out of this. They look after their players well and develop them,” Gold said on his podcast.
“It’s a good move for him. It’s a loss for the squad, he’s a very popular player, pretty much best mates with Harry Kane and Eric Dier as well, don’t think they’ll be delighted with this. I know the players were absolutely shocked when they found out he was going, they were absolutely gobsmacked.”
Doherty had a contract with Tottenham until the summer of 2024 and he could have been a useful squad player for the Londoners. Furthermore, Tottenham could have easily recouped a nominal fee for him at the end of the season.
The decision to let the player leave on a free transfer simply does not make sense.
Although the 31-year-old has not been a key player for Antonio Conte this season, he could have been the ideal backup option for January signing Pedro Porro.
The Republic of Ireland defender has certainly been a more reliable right-back compared to Emerson Royal this season.
