Noel Whelan reckons that Antonio Conte would have been the perfect manager for Matt Doherty if they had appointed him the next Tottenham boss.
Reports have linked the former Chelsea coach with a move to Spurs, but it might be impossible for them to get him now with talks considered to have broken down.
The Italian manager has won league titles in England and Italy and one key part of his team’s style of play is using wingbacks.
He used Victor Moses in his Premier League winning team of 2016/2017 and signed the Nigerian on loan at Inter Milan as well.
He also managed Achraf Hakimi as a wingback last season and almost always has one on his team.
Doherty was one of the Premier League’s best players when he played as a wingback for Wolves before moving to Spurs.
He struggled last season because Jose Mourinho mostly used him as a full-back and former Leeds United man, Whelan is confident that Conte would have brought out the best in him.
When asked if Doherty could have thrived under Conte, Whelan told Football Insider, “Yeah, possibly.
“Three at the back is great and can work in many ways. But you need the right personnel to play the roles.
“When you play that system, your wingbacks are absolutely vital.
“Have Spurs full-backs done enough this season? Serge Aurier? Doherty? No. No they have not.
“There’s no doubt, if you’re going to play a three, that brings your wing backs into play.
“They have to be faster than they were last season. That could bring out the best in Doherty.
“Conte would have assessed what he had in pre-season. if it wasn’t going to work he could have dipped into the market because he won’t accept players like that.”