Fantastic’ player was told Tottenham were not planning to sell him just days before he left

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Matt Doherty’s move from Tottenham to Atletico Madrid on transfer deadline day saw the club swiftly change their plans.

The Athletic report that Doherty was told just days before he ended up leaving that Spurs had no plans to let him go last month.

Djed Spence also departed on deadline day to sign for Ligue 1 outfit Rennes on loan for the rest of the season, but Spurs seemingly wanted another right wing-back exit too.

And Doherty was the man who made the shock move, seeing his contract terminated at the very last minute because Spurs already had too many overseas loans.

Doherty move to Atletico was a change of plans

That reflects the situation around Spurs, which seemed to be a case of them trying to find a suitor for any of the three right wing-back options Antonio Conte already had.

Whether it was Emerson Royal or Doherty who departed seemed not to be too important – it was all about who was more agreeable to leaving and for whom a serious offer came up.

That means things happened quickly for Doherty on the same day that Pedro Porro finally made his protracted move from Sporting.

Dejan Kulusevski called Doherty ‘fantastic‘ but the Republic of Irishman never fully convinced at Tottenham, who have now made another attempt to solve their right wing-back issues.

Porro is the man charged with elevating the quality down that right flank to another level, but it remains to be seen how he adapts to English football.

Tottenham face Manchester City this weekend, in a game that Conte will miss after having his gall bladder out, and he faces weeks of absence while he recovers.