Nuno’s appointment offers new lease on life for Tottenham right back

It was clear from the onset at Tottenham that Doherty struggled to find the confidence he played with at Wolves. Numerous reasons can be attributed to his dip in form, the primary of which saw Doherty preform most of his duties in a more defensive role, one he is not as comfortable with.

The question is whether Doherty can replicate his Wolves’ form in a more advanced role under Nuno. The Portuguese gaffer will almost invariably give his preferred 3-4-3 formation a go at Spurs, meaning Doherty could once again be called upon to provide an attacking threat down the right byline.

Tottenham are in the market for another right back. Serge Aurier is almost certainly leaving Spurs this summer, and his departure will leave a vacancy in Tottenham’s starting team. Takehiro Tomiyasu is high on the wish list, with Tottenham reportedly in the process of bidding for the Bologna right back’s services. He’s expected to cost about £17 to £20 million.

Tomiyasu is also comfortable playing on the right side of a back three, so Doherty might still have a path to being Spurs’ preferred right back. However, he will have to show a lot more than he did in his first season in north London to convince Nuno he deserves a starting role.

Doherty is still in Nuno’s good graces for how well he preformed at Wolves, but will need to significantly improve his overall level to remain there. Maybe a change in system will provide the incentive Doherty needs to prove he is still capable of playing at the elite level required to crack Tottenham’s starting team.

With Tomiyasu’s prospective arrival, Doherty will have his work cut out for him. But at least there are promising signs for the Irishman, who will be looking forward with great anticipation to the forthcoming campaign.