Tommy Doyle could be a '£5m bargain' for Wolves in the long-term

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·18 November 2023

Tommy Doyle could be a '£5m bargain' for Wolves in the long-term

Highlights

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Tommy Doyle could be a bargain if the club chooses to buy him for under £5m following the conclusion of his loan spell from Manchester City at Molineux.
The 22-year-old has played a part in two important goals for Gary O'Neil's side this season, but will feel needs to nail down a place in the starting line up.
Wolves hope to bat off interest in left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, whilst pursuing an exciting deal of their own ahead of the winter transfer window.

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Tommy Doyle could prove to be a bargain if the Molineux outfit take up the option to buy him in a deal worth close to £5m at Molineux, as journalist Dean Jones compares him to another ex-Manchester City star.

Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil has enjoyed a positive start to his managerial career, aided by shrewd recruitment at the end of the 2023 summer transfer window.

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Doyle has found his game time limited upon his arrival in the Black Country but has already made telling contributions and will look to stake his claim to become a regular for Wanderers. Wolves hope upcoming fixtures after the November international break can see them pull away from the Premier League’s relegation zone.

Doyle settling in at Wolves

Wolverhampton Wanderers endured a tumultuous summer, with several key players sold before a changeover in management staff before their first game of the Premier League season. O’Neil’s appointment was confirmed less than a week before Wolves kicked off the campaign at Old Trafford after Julen Lopetegui left the club by mutual termination in August.

For much of the transfer window, it looked as though the only signings Wanderers would make this summer would be the free transfers of Tom King, former Northampton Town goalkeeper, and right-back Matt Doherty, recently released from Atletico Madrid. However, the eventual sale of Matheus Nunes to Manchester City, following the departures of Ruben Neves, Nathan Collins, Conor Coady, and Raul Jimenez, among others, allowed O’Neil to bring in four late additions to the squad.

One of these was Doyle, who arrived on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy from Man City for close to £5m, which could have been a sweetener in the eventual deal to sell Nunes. In September, Jones told GIVEMESPORT that the 22-year-old could reignite O’Neil’s team upon his arrival from the Etihad Stadium, having bolstered the club’s midfield options alongside Strasbourg’s Jean-Ricner Bellegarde. Doyle made his debut as a substitute in a 3-1 defeat at home to Liverpool on 16th September and his first start in a 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat at Ipswich Town on the 26th of that month.

The Manchester-born star bided his time to make an impression at Wolves but played a prominent role in Wolves’ equalising goal in an eventual 2-1 victory at AFC Bournemouth on 21st October. He then dominated the midfield in a second-half cameo against Newcastle United in a 2-2 draw at Molineux the following week. Doyle’s quick thinking also led to Wolves’ stoppage-time winner against Tottenham Hotspur on 11th November. His free-kick was played out to Pablo Sarabia, who eventually set up Mario Lemina to score at the death.

Dean Jones update – Tommy Doyle

Jones has weighed Doyle’s chances of replicating Cole Palmer’s impact at Chelsea, having signed for the west London outfit from the champions during the 2023 summer transfer window. The journalist believes the midfielder has a “fantastic opportunity” to step up this season. Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

“Long term, Doyle could be a £5m bargain. He’s a player that has a high ceiling. I think he still has the potential to surprise people with his performance levels. If you see what Palmer's done after leaving Man City, I don't see any reason why Doyle can't do something like that either. If I were him, I’d be using that as motivation. He’s a player who's been talked about for a good few years now about whether he could make it at City or move elsewhere. This season, there's a fantastic opportunity to take that step up and prove that he can make it in his own right.”

Wolves transfer news

According to Le10sport, Liverpool have a strong interest in signing Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri during the winter transfer window. However, Wanderers have no intention to let the Algeria international leave in January, hinting that a summer 2024 move could be more realistic.

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk has claimed that Wolves have joined Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in the race for Norwich City talent Jonathan Rowe. The 20-year-old has scored eight goals and provided two assists in 17 Championship appearances this term, establishing himself as one of the second tier’s hottest prospects. However, Norwich hope to sign Rowe to a new long-term deal at Carrow Road; his current contract expires in the summer of 2025.

O’Neil’s side return to action on 27th November, after the international break, when they travel to Craven Cottage to take on Marco Silva’s Fulham side. Wanderers then kickstart December with a return to the capital, taking on Premier League title challengers on the 2nd.