Broadcaster Nathan Murphy has recently been talking about Tottenham’s supposed move for Matt Doherty and has expressed some doubts about the rumour from a tactical perspective.
Murphy was a guest on the latest episode of the OTB Football podcast and the panel talked about many potential transfers.
One thing that they focused on was Doherty’s potential move to Spurs. Murphy raised some tactical doubts about how the defender could fit in at the London club.
Spurs are said to be in advanced talks for a move to sign Doherty and Jose Mourinho is keen to sign the Republic of Ireland man.
The report also claims that the club is prepared to sell Serge Aurier, with AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen interested in the defender (as per Sky Sports).
Murphy made his doubts clear about Spurs’ move for Doherty and talked about how he might fit in at the club in a tactical sense.
He said: “It’d be a great move for Matt Doherty though what system are Tottenham going to play that will get the best out of Matt Doherty?
“So, Wolves, as we know, are one of, if not the best-drilled team of the year, who are built around using Matt Doherty as often as they can possible out in that right wing-back position.”
Do you think Doherty's signing represents a tactical problem for Tottenham?
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“He’s built up a great relationship with Adama Traore. Tottenham, are they going to play three at the back? Seems highly unlikely.
“So, he’s going to play as a more traditional right-back which takes away a huge amount of his talents and his goalscoring ability unless they were somehow thinking about playing him on the right side of midfield.
“So, from a purely footballing point of view as to where he fits in, maybe you can ask some questions.”
TIF Thoughts…
Doherty did play in the right midfield position a lot of times for Wolves last season, as the club predominantly used a back-three in the 2019/20 campaign.
Spurs did play in a traditional back-four a lot of times in the 2019/20 season and if they continue with that system next season, Doherty will have to adjust to playing as a right-back more often.
So, it will be interesting to see how a potential change of role affects the defender if he does join Spurs.