There has been a huge update on the future of Tottenham right wing-back Matt Doherty as his contract has been terminated by mutual consent, allowing a transfer to a European giant to go through.

Doherty joined Tottenham from Wolves in August 2020. According to The Guardian, he cost the north London side £14.7million.

Doherty went on to make 71 appearances in a Tottenham shirt, contributing three goals and nine assists. This season, he has been competing with Emerson Royal and Djed Spence for a starting spot on the right flank.

However, manager Antonio Conte has not been convinced by any of those three players. As such, he has demanded a complete overhaul in the position.

Spence has gone out to French club Rennes on loan for the remainder of the campaign. And with Pedro Porro set to join in a £40million deal from Sporting Lisbon, Doherty has followed Spence out of the exit door.

But while Spence has left on a temporary basis, Doherty will not be returning to the Spurs dressing room. In a club statement less than an hour before the January transfer deadline, Spurs have announced a mutual agreement to end the defender’s contract early.

They added that this will allow him to join another club. This is Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.

Doherty was originally going to go to Atleti on a loan deal. But Sky Sports claim Spurs could not ship him out on loan due to FIFA regulations.

Loan rule forces Tottenham to end contract

They already have plenty of players out on loan to European sides, including Giovani Lo Celso, Sergio Reguilon, Destiny Udogie, Bryan Gil and Joe Rodon, plus others. Due to this, it seems Spurs had reached their limit of international loan departures. As such, they had to take drastic action to get Doherty off their books.

In a statement of their own, Atleti revealed Doherty has joined on a free transfer. However, his contract only runs until the summer, so it is clear they want to assess him before giving out a long-term deal.

Atleti will present Doherty to their fans and the media on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old will hope to emulate Kieran Trippier at the Wanda Metropolitano. He played well under Diego Simeone between July 2019 and January 2022, helping the Rojiblancos to win the La Liga title in 2020-21.

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