In the summer Wolves bid farewell to an outstanding player in Joao Moutinho – but it looks as though the club may now have someone in the same mould.
The veteran departed Molineux after five years at the club having run down his contract.
Moutinho had been a regular for four of those years, featuring more off the bench in his final season -especially after the January transfer window.
Wolves signed Mario Lemina, who quickly became a regular in the side alongside Ruben Neves, which limited the Portuguese’s opportunities.
There was some talk about Moutinho possibly extending his contract, but in the end it didn’t happen and Wolves fans said goodbye to one of the best players ever to pull on the old gold shirt.
He was some player, but Wolves actually may now have someone in his mould…
Wolves may have their next Joao Moutinho in Tommy Doyle
Moutinho was known primarily for being a technical player.
The Portuguese maestro was often so brilliant on the ball, picking his teammates out with both short and long passes, and also dribbling his way out of tight spots.
Wolves fans would often be left in awe at his technical brilliance, and some are now getting a similar feeling watching new signing Tommy Doyle in action at Molineux.
Doyle arrived at Wolves on loan from Manchester City, with Matheus Nunes having signed for the champions for around £53 million.
Wolves had been looking at Doyle for a while, but decided to reignite their interest once City had swooped for Nunes.
Wolves will have the chance to buy him permanently next year for £5 million, which is the same fee the club paid AS Monaco for Moutinho back in 2018.
So far, Doyle has made a real impression at Wolves. He is living up to his billing as a strong technician and someone who is a great passer of the ball.
This is evidenced by an 86% pass completion rate in the Premier League so far, which is impressive when you consider Doyle is always looking to break the lines with a forward pass and trying to take risks – he isn’t just a safe, sideways passer.
Moutinho was also known for having solid work rate. The Portuguese could play pretty football, but he could also get about the pitch and was a decent ball-winner for Wolves.
It seems Doyle is also quite good out of possession as last week, a statistic emerged that showed him to the current number one ranked Premier League midfielder for ball recoveries per 90.
Moutinho was always a quick-thinking player. This is a trait Doyle also has, which was on show in the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur when he sprung into action to find Pablo Sarabia with the late free kick just before Lemina scored the winner.
The early signs are certainly very encouraging about Doyle. He’s not yet a nailed-on regular at Molineux, but Dave Edwards said recently that he feels the ‘aggressive’ youngster will become key, and a lot of fans can also see that happening.
If he continues to channel Moutinho at Molineux, then Gary O’Neil is going to have no choice but to play him every game.