Graeme Souness backs ‘workaholic’ Matt Doherty to thrive at Tottenham

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Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness believes that Tottenham Hotspur recruit Matt Doherty will be a hit at the club under Jose Mourinho. 

Tottenham pulled off quite the coup by bringing the Republic of Ireland international to North London this summer. Spurs spent a reported (Guardian) £14.7 million to bring Doherty to Spurs and solve their right-back problem. 

However, some are concerned that the naturally attacking defender, who was second only to Trent Alexander-Arnold when it came to attacking stats at right-back in the Premier League last season, could be stifled by the more defensive-minded Jose Mourinho at Spurs.

But regular Sky Sports pundit Souness disagrees. The former Liverpool man, who started his professional career as a Tottenham apprentice, believes that Mourinho knows full well what type of player Doherty is and that is why he made the move. 

“He (Doherty) is a workaholic and I like him very much,” Souness is quoted as saying by the Irish Mirror. “With (Pierre-Emile) Hojbjerg, the other one he’s signed, they’ll be better in there in midfield next season so I wouldn’t worry if I was Doherty, he can play the same game. 

“He (Mourinho) has bought him because he sees him box to box, gets there, delivers, chips in with a goal.”

“There’s a lot to like about Doherty in the modern game in that system.”

Indeed, Doherty brings the attacking aspect of the game that Serge Aurier, Tottenham’s current solitary right-back option does. 

However, the positive is that Doherty’s defensive work is perhaps more reliable than that of the Ivory Coast international.

With Ben Davies a more defensively astute player on the opposite side, Tottenham boss Mourinho is likely hoping for a decent balance in the back-line with Doherty’s arrival.