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Tottenham expert 'surprised' as details of Matt Doherty's exit revealed - 'I did not see that coming'
Paul Robinson is “surprised” Tottenham terminated Matt Doherty’s contract to allow him to join Atletico Madrid on a free.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs and England number one suspects there was a problem between the 31-year-old and Antonio Conte.
On 31 January, Tottenham confirmed Doherty had left the club after his contract was mutually terminated.
According to The Athletic (3 February), the full-back first heard of Atletico Madrid’s interest very late on Monday night.
A couple of days earlier, the player is said to have been told Spurs had no plans to let him go.
Tottenham replaced Doherty with Spanish wing-back Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon.
When asked by Football Insider if Doherty’s deadline-day move to Atletico Madrid was unexpected, Robinson said: “It was surprising because Doherty is a better player than Emerson Royal, without a doubt.
“Emerson is not the player most Spurs fans want to see playing at right wing-back. If you ask them, they would have rather kept Doherty and sold Emerson Royal. It would have been a landslide.
“The manager clearly did not fancy Doherty. I think there was a problem there. To tear his contract up and let him go on a free is bizarre. I do not see that coming.
“Doherty is following in the footsteps of [Kieran] Trippier in leaving Tottenham for Atletico Madrid. Hopefully he can have a similar level of success over there.”
In other news, a pundit has claimed Tottenham are ‘laying the groundwork’ for Hugo Lloris upgrade as £44m deal is agreed.