Tommy Doyle drops revealing Wolves claim after Birmingham City escape | OneFootball

Tommy Doyle has opened up on the difficult period that preceded his loan departure from Wolves, revealing that he never actually wanted to leave.

Tommy Doyle has admitted that he was in a "difficult place" at Wolverhampton Wanderers before heading out on loan last season.

The midfielder has since returned to Molineux with considerably more Championship experience under his belt, after spending the 2025/26 campaign over at neighbours Birmingham City.

That same season, Wolves would be relegated from the Premier League, with Doyle now a key part of the squad aiming to get back there under Cesar Peixoto.

As the Old Gold take a break from league action during the international break, the 24-year-old has insisted he never wanted to leave the club permanently, despite a difficult run before his loan switch.

Tommy Doyle admits he was in a 'difficult place' at Wolves

After a dismal start to the 2024/25 season, Wolves sealed their survival under Vitor Pereira, though Doyle played a minimal role as they finished 16th in the Premier League.

Throughout that campaign, he made 24 Premier League appearances but notched just 476 minutes, and Pereira decided he was not part of his plans moving forward.

Speaking to Inside Wolves, Doyle reflected on that period, saying: "I think I'm at a stage now where my mind is a lot clearer. I feel a lot better, especially within this football club.

"Before I went on loan, it was probably a difficult place for me to be, which wasn't nice because I have a lot of admiration for this football club.

"I feel like we've been through a lot," he said.

Despite reaching a point where he felt a temporary switch was necessary, the midfielder stressed that he never wanted to sever his ties with Wolves altogether.

"Initially I never wanted to leave," he said.

"But sometimes you have to do what's best for you and for your career."

Doyle has returned to Wolves with valuable Championship experience

For the second time in his career, Doyle would be sent away last term to experience a 46-game Championship season, after spending the 2022/23 season on loan at Sheffield United before his move to Molineux.

He impressed in the Premier League but struggled to become a regular ahead of Joao Gomes, Andre, or Mario Lemina, so he has yet to establish himself as a guaranteed top-flight midfielder.

With this in mind, Doyle believes that his time away has given him an even better understanding of how important squad depth will be over the course of the term.

"I have one of the most appearances in the Championship in this team," he said.

"You might not start, but there'll be chances when you have a run in the team. There'll be injuries, there'll be boys where you just have to rotate because of the nature of this league.

"I understand that it's extremely difficult to go every three days. I think the teams with the best squads always do the best in this league."

Doyle has not yet been a starter for the Old Gold in the league, with Peixoto possessing serious quality in his midfield ranks.

However, he believes the strength available throughout the squad could prove one of their biggest advantages come May.

"You can see from how strong our benches have been. You look at the Sheffield United game, the players that we can prong on - forgetting about myself - it's impressive.

"It's really impressive, and I think that's how we can push on and really affect teams later on in the game when they tire.

"You get to bring on Raul, JJ (Jordan James), or you flip it around to me. You could bring on anybody else in this team, you could name the whole XI.

"It really helps us and you have to have a good squad - and we have that."

Doyle can still have a big role to play at Wolves

Doyle is one of the few within the squad to have a Premier League promotion under his belt, having ascended with Sheffield United in 2023.

And with his future cleared up after the previous difficult spell, the former Manchester City graduate could still play a big role in another promotion campaign, despite not starting the season in the XI.

He has serious quality on the ball, and his tempo-setting will be needed in matches where Wolves hold the majority of the ball, while he is excellent at seeing out the latter stages of a match, as seen in the recent Black Country derby.

Alongside this, there appears to be little frustration about the scenario, with Doyle not exactly the first name on the teamsheet.

If Wolves are to climb back to the top flight this season, they will need the entire squad, and Doyle will play a big part in that group.