MATT’S TWEET MOVE
Doherty Gunner give it his all
MATT DOHERTY claims it was a “no-brainer” to sign for Tottenham.
The 28-year-old defender reckons his new club have got the best stadium in the world, the best training ground and insists he was desperate to work with Jose Mourinho.
It looks like a smart piece of business for Spurs, landing the Wolves right-back for £15m, even if old tweets have emerged suggesting that he is a lifelong Arsenal fan!
The Republic of Ireland defender has deleted some of them now as he looks to win over the Tottenham faithful.
It has been a remarkable rise to the top for Doherty, who has become one of the best wingbacks in the Premier League.
He spent 10 years with Wolves having joined from Irish side Bohemians in 2010.
The Dubliner said: “I’m proud to be joining such a big club.
“With the size of the club, the training ground, the fact that we’ve got the best stadium in the world and possibly the best training ground in the world from what I’ve seen – and the manager.
“Once I knew there was interest it was a no-brainer for me to get myself down to London.
“All the experiences I had at Wolves made me stay quite level-headed throughout my time there, but now I just feel like coming here is going to take my game and my career to the next level.
“I think it would have been tough to leave if I was maybe going backwards or sideways but I feel like at Tottenham now I’m really taking a big step forward – just with the facilities, everything at the club.
“It’s a new challenge now and it’s really a challenge that I feel like I need at this time.”
Doherty insists his fitness levels mean he can cope with the demanding Europa League fixture list coupled with domestic games and internationals, while he relishes the challenge of playing in different positions.
“I can play in a back three in terms of being the wing-back in midfield, I can play in a flat four at the back – there’s many things that I can do,” he said.
Doherty is now on international duty and says he is well aware of Tottenham’s strong links with Ireland thanks to the likes of Joe Kinnear, Chris Hughton, Steve Carr, Tony Galvin and Robbie Keane.
He added: “I saw Robbie Keane last week. I know the fanbase in Ireland is quite big – you can tell by social media.”