Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle has returned to training with the club following a season-long loan at Birmingham City, and his extensive Championship experience could prove valuable as Wolves prepare for life in the second tier.
Doyle's return to Wolves
The 24-year-old spent the entire 2025/26 Championship season with the Blues, having joined them in July. The loan deal included an obligation for Birmingham to buy Doyle for £10 million if they achieved promotion, but they finished 10th, so Doyle now finds himself back at Compton for a few weeks of training.
Wolves are in a very different position compared to when Doyle agreed to the Birmingham move. Rob Edwards has taken over from Vitor Pereira, and the club has been relegated from the Premier League. Doyle will not be able to add to his 51 Premier League appearances this season as he is not in Wolves' registered squad, but he is now being assessed as a potential option for next season's squad.
Doyle's Championship journey
Cardiff City
After coming through the academy at Manchester City, where he made seven senior appearances, the former England under-21 European champion was sent on his first loan to Hamburg in Germany. He made seven appearances for the club in the first half of the 2021/22 season, with six in the German second tier, before moving to Cardiff for the second half of that campaign.
Doyle enjoyed more regular minutes at the Welsh club, where he made 20 appearances in total and 19 in the Championship. Of those 19, he started 17 matches as Cardiff finished 18th.
Sheffield United
His most successful loan came in 2022/23 when Doyle joined Sheffield United, who had missed out on the play-offs the season before after being relegated from the Premier League. The Yorkshire club improved after Doyle's arrival, pushing for automatic promotion and sealing it with a 2-0 win over West Brom on April 26, 2023, eventually finishing second in the division.
Doyle scored a late winner to beat Blackburn 3-2 in the FA Cup quarter-finals, but he missed out on playing at Wembley in the semi-finals as the Blades were drawn against his parent club City. He played 38 times in all competitions for the club that season, scoring four goals and providing seven assists.
Birmingham City
Doyle had two full seasons at Wolves in the Premier League after his Sheffield United spell, making 58 total appearances and 50 in the top flight. Of those 50, he only started 14 times, and 11 of those were in his first season with Wolves. After falling out of favour last campaign, he was sent on loan to Birmingham.
The midfielder played 42 times in all competitions for the Blues, 38 in the Championship, and got four assists but failed to score, while he was sent off against former club Sheffield United in December. He started in exactly half of his Championship games for Birmingham, as he was in and out of the side all season, but despite not making a huge impact, he still played fairly regularly.
Doyle now returns to Wolves in the second tier, where he could play a role next season. His solid Championship experience, including promotion success with Sheffield United, makes him a valuable asset as Wolves aim to bounce back.
