Matt Doherty has revealed that he could not turn down the chance to join Atletico Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur.
The Republic of Ireland international completed a move to Atletico Madrid on transfer deadline day after his contract with Tottenham was terminated.
Doherty was initially expected to sign for the La Liga club on a loan, but Tottenham had already loaned out their maximum number of players allowed under FIFA rules.
As a result, Doherty joined Atletico on a free transfer and signed a short-term deal until the end of the season.
Doherty had struggled to nail down a place in the Tottenham side, starting seven of the clubs' 21 games this season, and the arrival of Pedro Porro would have seen him fall further down the pecking order.
The 31-year-old claimed that the move was a "no-brainer" when he was unveiled as an Atletico player on Wednesday afternoon.
© Reuters
Doherty told reporters: "For me, it was kind of a no-brainer once the opportunity came and I had to take it with both hands. It's an absolute pleasure to be here.
"I never imagined at the time something like this would be able to happen. Back in time when I was doing everything my dream initially was to play in the Premier League. I fulfilled that dream.
"But opportunities come that are unexpected at times, and this was an opportunity I saw that if I made the move I could better myself as a person exploring different cultures and different football. Like I said before, once the opportunity came it was impossible for me to give it up."
Doherty has revealed that he is looking forward to playing under Diego Simeone, and he has told the Atletico boss that he is "ready to play".
"For me it is an opportunity to improve myself and work under another world-class manager," Doherty added. "I've been fortunate enough where I have been able to do that through my career."
"So for me this is all about playing football, trying to improve myself, trying to help the team. As you know he [Simeone] doesn't speak a lot of English, so my message to him was I'm here, I'm fit, I'm strong and I'm ready to play.
© Reuters
"I can play for him on the left, I can play for him on the right or through the middle. Wherever he needs me, whether I play five minutes or 90 minutes, he knows that I won't stop running and working as hard as possible for him, the club and my team-mates."
Although his current deal only runs until the end of the current campaign, Doherty is open to extending his stay.
"I am here until the end of the season, but that doesn't have to be the end," Doherty said. "That will be up to me and I will try to perform well and see where it takes me.
"Initially now it is only for six months, but let's see if I can continue to do well for the club and see what happens going forward."
The right-back scored three goals and provided nine assists in 71 appearances for Tottenham, and he could make his debut for Atletico in Saturday's home meeting against Getafe.
