Journalist Alasdair Gold has revealed that the Tottenham Hotspur squad were "shocked" to learn that Matt Doherty was leaving the club permanently.

What’s the word?

In terms of drama, transfer deadline day certainly didn't fail to live up to expectations for those who follow Spurs. Indeed, Pedro Porro come in despite fear that a move to collapse.

However, his arrival meant that there was space for a wingback to leave and Doherty was that mean. Indeed, the Irishman was set for a loan to Atletico Madrid but that wasn't possible because Tottenham had already filled their quota of having a maximum of eight players out on loan.

As a compromise, the club simply opted to terminate the defender's contract allowing him to complete a move to La Liga. Internally, this twist seems to have surprised a few squad members.

Indeed, while writing for football.london, Gold explained: "'Doherty's Spurs team-mates were shocked when they suddenly found out the news on Tuesday that he was leaving permanently."

Shock departure

Interestingly enough, Gold himself had predicted that Doherty's status as a Spurs player might have been safe regardless of Porro's arrivals due to his ability to play on the left and right side of the defence.

He wrote: "If Porro does arrive as expected then offers will be looked at for both players, although Doherty brings left-sided cover as well which [Antonio] Conte appreciates."

Despite that, having struggled to nail down a regular spot in the team this season – with just seven Premier League starts and one in the Champions League – it would have been no great surprise to learn the player has been loaned out for the time being.

His permanent exit, however, shows the fickle and unpredictable world of football and the transfer market, with the Irishman's time as a Tottenham player now officially and suddenly over.

Evidently, his teammates didn't see it coming.