Here are your Tottenham Hotspur evening headlines for Sunday, August 30.
Aurier ‘rejected’ Wolves move as part of Doherty deal
Serge Aurier reportedly rejected a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers as part of Matt Doherty’s switch to Spurs.
Spurs completed the signing of Doherty earlier today and the Daily Star, cited here, claim that Aurier had been offered an opportunity to move to Molineux in a part-exchange deal.
It is understood that the Ivory Coast international turned down a move to the Midlands club in favour of a move away from England amid detailed interest from clubs on the continent.
The likes of AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen have been credited with interest for Aurier and it seems only a matter of time before he leaves North London.
Doherty reveals pride on joining ‘big club’ Spurs
New signing Doherty has spoken out for the first time since joining Spurs.
The right-back will wear the No.2 shirt for Jose Mourinho’s side after signing a long-term contract at the club.
Following the move, Doherty told the club’s official website of his pride to be joining such a big club.
He said: “I’m extremely happy – I guess if the people could see what we were just doing (in his signing photoshoot) with smiles on my face the whole time… I’m very proud to be joining such a big club.
“With the size of the club, the training ground, the fact that we’ve got the best stadium in the world and possibly the best training ground in the world from what I’ve seen – and the manager… once I knew there was interest it was a no-brainer for me to get myself down to London.
“I think it would have been tough (to leave Wolves) if I was maybe going backwards or sideways but I feel like at Tottenham now I’m really taking a big step forward – just with the facilities, everything at the club and the manager here.”
The reason why Wolves allowed Doherty to move
Wolves chairman Jeff Shi has admitted that there were no plans to sell Doherty in the current transfer window but conceded that a move was in the ‘best interests’ of all parties concerned.
The Republic of Ireland international has joined the club on a four-year deal and his former chairman believes that he will always be held in high regard at Molineux.
Shi said: “Matt has been a fantastic player for Wolves over the years, and as a member of the illustrious ‘300 club’ will forever have a place in its history.
“His departure was not something we had planned ahead of the summer, but when the offer came in, we discussed and analysed it deeply with the coaching team and the board. We also spoke to Matt who was eager to move onto a new chapter in his career.
“Ultimately, we believe that this transfer is in the best interests of the club, and it goes without saying that Matt leaves with our best wishes.”
