With Serge Aurier expected to leave Tottenham this summer, we’ve been on the hunt for a replacement right-back.
Benfica’s Tomas Tavares, Norwich City’s Max Aarons, Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles, LOSC Lille’s Zeki Celik, OGC Nice’s Youcef Atal and Real Madrid’s Achraf Hakimi of Real Madrid have been linked, but it appears we’ve settled for Matt Doherty.
The 28-year-old is a surprise acquisition as the news has come out of nowhere and there wasn’t any suggestion from Wolverhampton Wanderers that they were looking to cash in on Doherty this summer. So how did this deal materialise?
Why are Wolves letting a key player leave?
It’s surprising that Wolves were happy letting such an important player leave for so little money, but the Guardian said Doherty is keen to make the switch. The Republic of Ireland international is now represented by Jorge Mendes, so he may have been looking for a new challenge.
Doherty has made 302 appearances in all competitions since joining Wolves from Bohemians in 2010, scoring 28 goals with 41 assists. He’s been a regular under Nuno Espirito Santo (142/157 appearances) and has represented the Ireland national team nine times in the last two years.
Only paying £12m up front for Doherty is great business by us. He’s an improvement on Aurier, has proven his worth in the Premier League and should flourish in North London.
What will Doherty bring to the squad?
The 28-year-old is a very attacking right-back who will provide goals and assists. Doherty had a hand in seven goals in 32 league starts last season, creating 21 chances, making 28/48 successful dribbles (58%) and whipping in 45 crosses with 16% accuracy.
He’s won 133/230 aerial duels, taken 35 shots with 46% hitting the target, blocked 39 passes/crosses/shots, made 47 clearances, won 18 free-kicks, given away a foul once every 101 minutes and averaged a tackle (55) or interception (40) every 30 minutes.
Doherty has only been dribbled past once every 203 minutes too, so he’s just as effective in defence as he is in attack. That will be why Jose Mourinho is so keen.
Summary
Doherty is a smart signing. He won’t break the bank and will improve the squad. The 28-year-old has impressed at Wolves and is a good egg, so there’s no reason why he can’t make an instant impact in North London.