Tottenham's Pursuit of Matt Doherty Proves Club Are Buying for José Mourinho

Bloody hell, Spurs - actual astute transfer signings in the pipeline!

Yes, that's right, with Wolves' Matt Doherty poised to become Jose Mourinho's third summer addition after entering advanced talks for the 28-year-old.

If a deal is agreed and the Irishman does find himself holding aloft the 2020/21 Lilywhite home strip on top of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium's 'The Dare Skywalk' - which the club's social media team definitely haven't done enough to promote - then he'll join Premier League proven Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and experienced homegrown leader Joe Hart in the club's arrivals lounge.

All of this screams 'astute', very Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool pre-Philippe Coutinho exit-like. Now, that isn't to suggest Spurs will morph into anything close to what the German string-puller's got going on at Anfield, but there's no doubting the Lilywhites are heading in the right direction in regards to recruitment.

And as Football London's Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold points out: they're not done yet.

Doherty is one of two right-back's Spurs should be looking to sign this summer provided Serge Aurier completes his overseas exit. Fabrizio Romano understands the club are still in talks with Milan over a transfer, while Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen are also interested.

Even though the profile of loanee Gedson Fernandes fits the role of an advancing full-back and exciting youngster Japhet Tanganga has proven his potential to play there as well, there's no doubting another addition alongside the Irishman wouldn't go amiss.

Nevertheless, not only is Doherty a bona fide Aurier replacement due to his capacity to be utilised as an advanced right-back as part of Mourinho's asymmetric 4-2-3-1, but it also highlights Daniel Levy's intention to ensure that Mourinho's spell in north London is a trophy-laden one.

While Levy wanted Max Aarons and the majority of the Spurs fanbase were keen on overpaying for a flamboyant continental option - perhaps a Youcef Atal or Nordi Mukiele - Mourinho was set on Doherty. And with reports only surfacing this week regarding the Irishman's potential switch to north London, it appears Levy and Lilywhites have got this deal done with impressive efficiency.

Seriously, it's frightening to see the number of Lilywhite keyboard warriors turning their nose up at a Premier League proven full-back slap bang in the middle of his prime. If Spurs had the chance to sign Lionel Messi this summer, I'm sure most would fear how he'd adjust to the 'physicality and intensity of the English game'.

Anyway, back to Levy and Jose.

While a £16m move for Doherty may not represent Levy backing his manager financially, it certainly highlights his trust in the man who he sacked the most successful manager of the club's modern era in favour of.

Although their sixth-place finish would suggest Spurs have a long way to go if they're to reach Pochettino levels of performance and results, the talent their squad boasts means that, in reality, they're only a few clever dabbles in the transfer market away from evolving into a more harmonious unit with clear direction.

For much of the latter days of Poch's reign and swathes of the Mourinho era pre-lockdown, this was a Spurs side that looked woefully unbalanced and overly-reliant on individual brilliance to progress through the gears. Not even a three-month hiatus was enough for Giovani Lo Celso's back to fully recover.

As Sir Alex Ferguson discovered when facing Marcello Lippi's Juventus in the late-90s, the need for functional and 'do a job' players needed to carry out specific tactical roles are imperative to achieving balance and success.

Lippi had the likes of Moreno Torricelli, Angelo di Livio, Gianluca Pessotto and Alessandro Birindelli to supplement Zinedine Zidane and co, while Fergie turned to the unspectacular Ronny Johnsen and Phil Neville among others. It helped United to a treble in 1999.

Spurs have moved swiftly to address their two most glaring needs this summer; a defensive midfielder - or however you want to label Hojbjerg - and right-back for around £30m. Both of which possess those perhaps underwhelming profiles but will coherently support the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Lo Celso and, dare I say it, Tanguy Ndombele.

The financial restrains triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic meant moves for the likes of Borussia Monchengladbach's Denis Zakaria or RB Leipzig's Mukiele simply weren't feasible. Now, their attentions will likely turn to shrewd moves for Kane's deputy, a centre-back and, quite possibly, another creative option.

If Levy is to continue the trend of drafting in 'Mourinho players', expect a move for a target-man in the mould of Vedat Muriqi or Arkadiusz Milik, while Tanguy Ndombele may be sacrificed to bring in the similarly out-of-favour Inter defender Milan Skriniar.

Only time will tell whether the aforementioned moves play out and the Tottenham chairman continues to base his recruitment around the desires of one of the finest managers we've ever seen.

And although Spurs' financial situation mightily contrasts that of "pay - and don’t speak" Chelsea in 2004 or Inter in 2009, it appears Levy has the right idea handing Mourinho a bit more power on the recruitment front.

Could Matt Doherty prove to be Mourinho's Paulo Ferreira at Spurs and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg his Thiago Motta?

Only Ricardo Carvalho and Diego Milito-type figures remain to complete a Jose Mourinho superteam in N17.