Stats suggest smart Doherty signing can transform Tottenham's attack
This time last year Tottenham were three games into the 2019/20 Premier League season with one win, one draw and one defeat to their name under Mauricio Pochettino. New club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele scored on debut before assisting in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City the following match. He missed their third game, defeat to Newcastle, through injury and their £53.8m recruit has been extremely underwhelming ever since.
Twelve months on and talk of Ndombele leaving hasn't stopped. Jose Mourinho is now the manager and Tottenham are taking a wildly different approach in the summer transfer window. Operating from a restricted budget, big money signings are certainly not possible and Dybala-like arrivals are unimaginable, but it hasn't stopped Mourinho from adding to his squad. Tottenham signed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton for an initial £15m fee and then added Joe Hart to their goalkeeping department on a free transfer. Now they are on the verge of signing Matt Doherty from Wolves in a deal worth up to £16m.
None of those signings will get fans up on their feet and a section of Tottenham supporters may even lament their club's dealings when they look at the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, but that doesn't mean they aren't shrewd recruits. Hojbjerg won possession in midfield more times than any other player in the Premier League last season and fills a gaping hole in Tottenham's midfield (181). Doherty's impending arrival, meanwhile, helps solve a problem position that Tottenham failed to address last summer.
The 28-year-old, set to join Spurs for a very modest fee, has been a pillar of consistency for Wolves since they returned to the Premier League in 2018. While Serge Aurier proved surprisingly important under Mourinho towards the end of last season, consistent he is anything but. Talks for Aurier to leave Tottenham are now expected to accelerate.
The fact Doherty has missed just two Premier League games over the last two seasons will please Mourinho more than most, who tends to lack sympathy for injury-prone players. While sturdy in defence, Doherty is unquestionably at his best when going forward. Remarkably, Doherty has played a direct hand in 27 goals (15 goals, 12 assists) in all competitions from wing-back since the beginning of last season. In the Premier League only Liverpool full-back duo Trent Alexander-Arnold (30 and Andrew Robertson (26) have scored or assisted more than Doherty (16) of all defenders in that period.
Reservations among Tottenham supporters over Doherty's effectiveness in a four-man defence are understandable but should be countered by Mourinho's tactics. The Tottenham boss favours a lopsided defence, meaning one full-back remains back at all times with the other given license to bomb forward. Last season it was Aurier driving forward with left-back Ben Davies held back. Doherty will be instructed to get forward where possible next season. As a result, it more-or-less changes Tottenham's formation into a back three when they have the ball, enabling Doherty to take up areas of the pitch he is already familar with.
Aurier impressively ranked fourth of all Tottenham players for touches inside the opposition penalty area (43) under Mourinho in the Premier League last season, more than Giovani Lo Celso, another big money signing. While Aurier played far more often than Lo Celso in 2019/20 it only emphasises the importance of Tottenham's right-back under Mourinho. In fact, the Ivorian recorded more under Mourinho in 26 league appearances last season than Tottenham's three right-backs managed collectively in Mauricio Pochettino's last full season in charge (41). It reinforces a huge shift in tactics. Doherty, meanwhile, ranked second for touches in the opposition box of all defenders in the Premier League (93) last season, registering more than the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Daniel James, Dele Alli, Lucas Moura and James Maddison.
Mourinho is also particularly keen on his teams being sound from set-pieces at both ends of the pitch and Doherty's arrival will only help Tottenham improve that side to their game. Four of his 10 goals across league and European competition over the last two seasons have been scored with his head and a return of 3.7 aerial duels won pg was bettered by only 6ft 5in Brighton left-back Dan Burn (4.1) of all full-backs in the Premier League last season.
Tottenham have been served with quite a severe reality check over the last 12 months since losing the 2019 Champions League final. They spent more than £100m last season to try and finally challenge for the Premier League title only to sack the best manager they've ever had in the Premier League by November and turn to Mourinho, whose reputation had sunk to an all-time low.
The previous five years were richly entertaining but the cycle ended without any silverware. Now they are back to re-building, with Mourinho steering the ship. While upheaval and controversy engulfs their rivals, Tottenham are going about their business smartly and under the radar. The likes of Hojbjerg and Doherty aren't going to win Tottenham Premier League titles but they at least show Mourinho knows what he is doing. As Manchester United's summer goes from bad to worse, a top four space looks open and all Tottenham can do is position themselves at the front of the queue for it. That is what they are doing.
