Mick McCarthy’s time at Wolves is certainly one to remember, and he once had a player he believed to be priceless.
There are many incredible stories from that period, including McCarthy breaking up a fight between two Wolves players.
The former Wolves boss still feels proud looking back at what he achieved with the club, and McCarthy admits he still loves the Old Gold.
At the moment, Wolves have a striker in Jorgen Strand Larsen, for whom the club rejected bids upwards of £50 million from Newcastle.
During McCarthy’s time, he also had a forward who was subject to interest, but he believed no amount of money was worth selling him.
Mick McCarthy said Kevin Doyle was worth every penny
Wolves signed Kevin Doyle for a then-club record fee reported to be £6.5 million from Reading in 2009.
The Republic of Ireland striker had a great first season in the Old Gold, winning the Players’ Player of the Season Award and being the top goalscorer for Wolves that season too.
His performances garnered interest early on, and despite just being a few months into life at Molineux, Arsenal were reportedly looking to launch a £10 million bid for him in January.
The interest was put to Mick McCarthy ahead of Wolves taking on Liverpool at home, and his response highlighted how good he thought Doyle was.
McCarthy said, “Doyle was cheap, let me tell you – he’s more than good value. I wouldn’t even try to put a value on him now, but I knew exactly what I was getting when I brought him in.”
The faith in the striker was repaid, as Doyle put in an exceptional showing against the Reds despite not scoring.
The Wolves manager said about Doyle, “If anyone has seen a better centre-forward display at Molineux than against Liverpool, then I would like to see it.”
“That was a classic performance from Kevin Doyle. He was outstanding. If he had scored to top it off, it would have been a ten-plus rating out of ten performance.”
Kevin Doyle is a big fan of Mick McCarthy
While McCarthy was clearly a big fan of the striker, it was not a one-way street, with Doyle also showing a mutual respect for his former boss.
Speaking in 2019, Kevin Doyle spoke about his time under the manager, saying via RTE, “He’s just a nice man to work for. He’s a very good communicator; he likes talking to you – in training, one-on-one – and not just about football.
“He makes you feel relaxed in general and asks about your family. He’s good with people. That’s a big side to his management. In general, players like him and like to play for him. That’s half the battle.”
Despite interest from Arsenal, Doyle would end up staying at the Old Gold until 2015.
The Irish international was part of the team that was relegated to League One, but had things worked out differently, he might have played in the Champions League.
He was a hard worker for the club, and what a forward he was.