Former Hibs’ on-loan defender Matt Doherty has signed for Tottenham Hotspur from Wolves for a reported £12m plus a potential £5m in add-ons.
Signed by Pat Fenlon during the 2012 January transfer window the Republic of Ireland international made his debut against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup on 4th February 2012.
In total he played 17 games for the club including the 2012 Scottish Cup final defeat to Hearts but infuriated Hibs’ fans for comments made during an interview after the final whistle.
He scored two goals including the opener against Dunfermline Athletic in a relegation battle at Easter Road which Hibs went on to win 4-0 and secure their top-flight status.
He has been at Molineux since 2010, when he was signed from Bohemians as a teenager.
Having made more than 300 appearances, the 28-year-old was part of two promotions with Wolves and excelled in last season’s Europa League campaign.
Speaking at White Hart Lane yesterday Doherty told Tottenham Hotspur media: “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.
“At Wolves I just had all the experiences – disappointment and then obviously getting promoted and stuff like that, but then taking it to the next level and getting into Europe as well. It made me stay quite level-headed throughout my time there, but now I just feel like coming here is going to take my game and my career to the next level. 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. After 10 years, I know a lot of people at Wolves but it’s a new challenge now and it’s really a challenge that I feel like I need at this time.”
“It is very important,” he said when asked about balancing Premier League, European and domestic cup duties. “It’s almost similar to a Championship season where you’re playing Saturday-Tuesday, the only difference is you’ll be playing against a lot more quality in a lot higher-paced games. At Wolves we didn’t have a big squad so I played the majority of the games. I’m pretty used to playing as many games as possible so that won’t be a problem.”
“When I put the shirt on and when I get out there it’s all go for me. I get up and down and do as much as I can.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
