Tottenham star Matt Doherty shares how Jose Mourinho almost made him quit club

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Tottenham full-back Matt Doherty has detailed an incident between himself and former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho that may have seen his time in north London cut short. The Irishman has since wormed his way into Antonio Conte’s circle of trust while Mourinho’s stint in north London disappears in the rear-view mirror. 

Mourinho had an up-and-down spell as Tottenham boss which lasted less than a year and a half. The same could be said of Doherty’s Spurs career as the 30-year-old has often left fans unconvinced since his £15million transfer from Wolves in 2020. 

His persistence seems to be paying off under Conte this term having usurped Emerson Royal at right wing-back, but a fractious incident with Mourinho may have seen Doherty jump ship a long time ago. 

“We’d played Arsenal, lost 2-1 and I didn’t have a good game,” he admitted, “Then we played Aston Villa away. There were nine subs last season and 21 of us travelled – and that was the time when the manager left people out and brought some kids on the bench.

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“I wasn’t even on the bench. And it was Covid time and you weren’t allowed into the dressing room if not in the squad. I was sat on the bus on my own. Genuinely – because it was international break straight after – I was so close to getting the car and going to Manchester.

“I’m glad I didn’t. It’s not professional to do that. In your head, you’re on the bus and thinking, ‘What’s the point watching the game, I might as well go’. Obviously, he was trying to prove a point to everybody, not just for me, but that was not fun.”

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If Doherty had followed his urge it would likely have ruined any remaining professional relationship between himself and Mourinho and effectively ended his first-team career in north London. As it went, the Republic of Ireland international would only have to wait another month before the club took matters into their own hands and gave Mourinho his marching orders. 

One year and two managers later, Doherty could well be laying the foundations for a fruitful Tottenham career under Conte. The wing-back has started each of the last six games and, despite transfer speculation putting his starting spot under threat, he believes he is on the gaffer’s good side. 

“I feel I’ve gained [Conte’s] trust and I’m able to repay him,” he added, “I’m really happy how things are going.

“You can imagine with a full pre-season what kind of shape and what kind of state of mind we might be in [next season]. That’s exciting. We’ve all realised what an unbelievable coach he is. I feel like we’re all improving. And we don’t want it to end.”

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