The Yorkshire Post have reported that Birmingham City are at the forefront to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Tommy Doyle.
The 23-year-old is considering a return to the EFL Championship in search of game time, having previously tasted success in the second tier with Sheffield United.
Career
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Doyle progressed through the Manchester City Academy and was handed his debut by Pep Guardiola in October 2019, aged 18.
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After another impressive season captaining Manchester City Under-23s, Doyle was loaned out to Hamburger SV, however, this spell was unsuccessful as he failed to start a game.
As a result, Doyle’s loan was terminated and the midfielder joined Cardiff City for the remainder of the 2021/22 season. This was his first positive spell of men’s football as he started 17 matches in the Championship, scoring twice and assisting three times.
Doyle then joined Sheffield United for the 2022/23 season, a club with expectations of promotion to the Premier League.
The midfielder controlled games with his quality and recorded seven goal contributions from 21 starts as the Blades were automatically promoted back to the top flight.
(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Doyle tasted more success in the summer following his loan spell at Sheffield United as he was part of the England Under-21s squad that won the Under-21 European Championships in 2023 without conceding a goal.
The central midfielder then progressed to the Premier League when he joined Wolves on loan, he made 32 appearances that season and joined the Midlands side on a permanently for £5 million.
(Photo by James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images)
However, last season was not an ideal one for Doyle, who started just three times, and now seems to have fell out of favour with manager Vitor Pereira.
Player Profile
Doyle is the type of midfielder that would suit Chris Davies’ possession-based style of play.
He has composure on the ball, handling pressure from the opposition with ease, while also taking risks with creative passes of all ranges to his teammates.
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It is likely that Doyle would suit partnering a profile of midfielder similar to Blues midfielder Tomoki Iwata, as he would have more freedom to express himself and less responsibility in the defensive third.
Final Thoughts
It is clear that Blues will need multiple options in all areas of the pitch if they want to compete towards the top of the Championship this season.
Doyle’s signing would put less pressure on Paik Seung-Ho playing the majority of league minutes, while adding to the already talented quality of the current midfield.
The fee required to acquire Doyle’s signature is unknown, but there is a good chance that Blues will have to fend off competition from Sunderland, who have recently been promoted to the Premier League, and Championship rivals Wrexham.