How Tommy Doyle has reacted to leaving Birmingham City - will he return? | OneFootball

The midfielder endured a mixed loan spell at St. Andrew's from newly-relegated Wolves

Birmingham City's season of mixed fortunes means they are preparing for yet another campaign at Championship level next term, with plenty of activity expected across the summer as a result.

After storming to the League One title in Chris Davies' first season at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, or, indeed, full-time management altogether, plenty of hype was generated around Blues in pre-season, largely as a result of their transfer activity.

Ever since the takeover of Knighthead Capital Management three years ago, Tom Wagner hasn't been afraid to plug millions of pounds into various on and off-pitch elements in B9 to give the club the best possible chance of returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2011.

However, two major squad reshuffles across the Championship term this time around didn't exactly prove successful, as Birmingham were very rarely in with a chance of making the second tier play-offs for the first time in 14 years, as their hopes were all but dashed even prior to the international break in March.

Regardless, a 10th-place finish on a tally of 64 points is still Blues' best league placement in a decade, but it has been met with a rather mixed reception when taking several factors into account.

With an increased play-off structure coming into fruition in 2026/27, though, there will be hope amongst Bluenoses that they can mount a sustained bid for the top six, especially if they can nail their summer recruitment policy.

However, that could be without the services of Tommy Doyle, who spent the last eight months on loan from newly-relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers.

How Tommy Doyle has reacted after Birmingham City, Wolves loan agreement ends

Doyle was one of 14 high-profile arrivals at St. Andrew's in the summer transfer window, with plenty of excitement surrounding his temporary acquisition based on his previous exploits with Cardiff City and Sheffield United at Championship level, including promotion with the latter in 2022/23.

The 24-year-old had endured mixed fortunes at Molineux after an initial loan which was turned permanent for £4.3m two summers ago, with it also being reported that Blues would pay £10m to their West Midlands rivals if they were promoted in successive seasons to sign Doyle permanently.

Throughout the season, the 13-time England Under-21s international has featured 42 times for Birmingham in all competitions whilst providing four assists.

However, the arrival of fellow midfield loanee, Jhon Solis, from Girona in January saw his minutes significantly reduced, starting just once since March 2nd in the Good Friday defeat to Blackburn Rovers.

With Wolves now preparing for their first spell in the Championship for eight years, Doyle will, in the meantime, return to WV1, and he has since taken to X to issue his thoughts on his time at St. Andrew's.

"Thank you @BCFC for everything this season," said the former Manchester City man.

"I've loved wearing the shirt and playing for you all. Wishing you all the best in the future," Doyle added.

Birmingham City's chances of re-signing Tommy Doyle assessed after Wolves' relegation

While Davies has already set out a transfer demand ahead of the upcoming summer window, it does feel unlikely that Doyle will return to St. Andrew's.

It was reported in March that a return to Wolves as part of Rob Edwards' first pre-season in the Black Country was 'inevitable', whilst the Old Gold and Black will also be undergoing a squad reset.

Indeed, two key players in Doyle's central midfield position in Andre and Joao Gomes have attracted plenty of potential suitors, which opens the door for the Mancunian to work his way back into the first-team fold.

As for Blues, they also remain hopeful of signing the aforementioned Solis on a permanent basis, albeit it has emerged that Premier League sides in the form of Brentford and Leeds United have their sights set on a move for the highly-rated Colombian.