Paul Robinson reacts on Twitter after Tottenham release Matt Doherty

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Paul Robinson has taken to Twitter to suggest that he was surprised by the news that Tottenham Hotspur have mutually terminated the contract of Matt Doherty to allow the right-back to join Atletico Madrid on the final day of the January transfer window.

Of course, there was one right-back most Tottenham fans were talking about on deadline day. And with Spurs working on a deal for Pedro Porro, it always seemed likely that at least one of the current squad would be moved on.

Nevertheless, it would have come as a shock when reports emerged claiming that Atletico Madrid wanted Doherty on loan. The Republic of Ireland international has not had the best time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium of late.

Robinson reacts as Matt Doherty leaves Tottenham

Ultimately, Doherty got his move. However, there was still a surprise twist, with Spurs announcing that they have actually mutually terminated the contract of the 31-year-old.

It turns out that Tottenham have reached their limit of international loans after letting Djed Spence join Rennes. And with that, loaning out Doherty to Atleti was no longer possible.

Some clubs, in that situation, may have been tempted to keep Doherty instead. Certainly, some Spurs fans would have him ahead of Emerson Royal in the pecking order.

But Tottenham decided to free Doherty up to leave permanently. And that clearly caught Robinson off guard, as the former Spurs goalkeeper posted his reaction on social media…

The pressure is now on Porro to make an impact. The bar was probably not set too high by the options Antonio Conte previously had. But Spurs have now moved on Doherty and Spence.

And Tottenham seemed to spend the entire window working on a deal for Porro. So they clearly rate him extremely highly.

And it is only Emerson now waiting in the wings.