On the same day that Wolves had a sensational £7 million bid accepted for Roger Johnson, it was funny that another piece of transfer speculation was able to catch my eye.
But ESPN are reporting that Kevin Doyle is being tracked by Juventus, with Arsenal still very much in the hunt too. Furthermore, it goes on to say that if Doyle was to seal a big move, Shane Long would be immediately targeted as his replacement.
Now this hasn’t even graduated to the ranks of ‘paper talk’ yet, but I can’t shake the suspicion that our joint record signing could be heading for the exit door this summer, so lets consider the story for arguments sake.
First of all, I’d obviously be gutted to see Doyler leave. Gutted.
In my 20+ years of supporting Wolves, I’ve never seen a player (of any position) with such remarkable control, balance and sublime deftness of touch. In addition to all that, for a bloke of such average build, his strength and aerial ability seem almost superhuman.
We know that goals haven’t come in spades, but the fact he’s established himself as a top Premier League striker with just 14 strikes to his name in two seasons says everything. There’s so much more to his game than scoring goals.
Put simply, he’s a class act. We know it, Mick knows it and every single pundit up and down the country have consistently shouted it from the rooftops.
So we can’t really be too surprised that a few of the big clubs are now circling our top brass.
The question is though, will he go?
Mick insists he’s happy where he is, Jez wants him in the boardroom post-haste to hammer out a new deal and the player himself is keeping a dignified silence. Like I say, a class act.
But Doyler must know that at 27 years of age, he’ll probably only get this one chance to move up to the top level, compete for the biggest prizes and maybe win a few medals.
Therefore, if a bid does materialise, surely he’ll want out, however much of a nice guy he is?
How much is he worth you might ask? Given his age, the time left on his contract and the amount we paid for him, I think a fee in the region of £12-14 million is realistic. If someone came in with that, I think he’d be on his way.
According to the ESPN report, Reading want £7 million for Shane Long, which is a lot of dough for a striker with next to no Premier League experience. But his stock has undoubtedly risen in the last 12 months and I’d be happy enough to see him brought in to compete with SEB and Fletcher should Doyle vacate his slot.
It goes without saying that the dream scenario is our star striker staying put, penning a new deal and finishing his career in a gold shirt.
Sadly though, I fear his future lies elsewhere.
But I sincerely hope I’m wrong.
Out of that darkness cometh light: the end of 4-5-1.
I have mixed feelings about the 4-5-1.
Yes, it can be negative at times and boring to watch, but some of our best performances have come whilst employing it.
It also gets Milijas into the team, a player who I personally feel should always play.
The best XI we’ve put out since getting back into the Prem was Villa away last season.
Hennessy
Foley
Stearman
Berra
Elokobi
Hammill
Milijas
Henry
O’Hara
Jarvis
Doyle
I looked at the team that day and thought ‘yes, this is how I always want us to play’.
But 442 has worked equally well at times, so I’m not particularly bothered as long as we’re getting the results.
Yes, me too. But im more interested in RJ joining at the moment Thomas.
Doyle is a great player, no doubt about that. Yet I can’t help but thinking that he truly can’t get out his full potential at Wolves due to the way Wolves play. He’s very alone at times, and he isn’t a player that can make goals on his own – running around chasing the ball for a team on the lower part of the table. At Arsenal or Juventus I’m sure he’ll play another role, the role of the goalgetter, the role he plays at Ireland.
I’m not sure if it is a loss for Wolves. It depends upon the player we sign. In my opinion we need a player with lightning speed, which can score goals on counter attacks.
If we could get 12 mill or more I’m not sure if I’m going to be sad or content.
With the way Fletcher finished the season, not sure if I would be as gutted as I previously would have been if Doyle goes.
When Fletcher plays you always feel he has a goal in him, but you don’t get that feeling with Doyle. Don’t get me wrong he is a class act, who is a big reason why we have stayed in the prem for the last two seasons, just think it may force us to change the way we play if he leaves, which might not be a bad thing.
I’d definitely take £14m, every player has his price and that sounds about right fir Doyle.
By coincidence I met an Irish guy in sydney who grew up with doyler. They are still great mates ( apparently Doyle flew all his mates to Vegas when he signed for us) and he said that Doyle has had interest from big clubs all last season and that he was expecting a big money offer over the summer. He was torn but wanted more glory before his best years were over.
I was a little sceptical obviously hearin all this as you always get a lot of talk from people who know someone but photos of him and Doyle in his parents pub in Ireland sealed it. I’m not syaing it’s happening just that it’s all probably going on behind the scenes. I reckon he likes the club and the boys but if given the opportunity he would leave for a shot at the big time.
I think he’s worth at least 12mil with a few nice add on’s and although I think him staying could be useful, with fletcher looking a progressively steady goal threat, his sale might not be as terrible as we would first imagine
Loving that Sam. Insider knowledge always good.
To be honest though, even as an outsider looking in, I could have guessed that’s how he would be feeling.
You can’t blame him really.
Put simply, £12 – £14 million is not enough and we should not be looking to sell at that price. The bidding needs to start at £18 million and when we reach £20 million then we should be prepared to talk. Just look at some of the prices being pais recently for players who are not in Doyle’s class. I see no reason to give our best players away. Incidentally, I would take Long and then take a cheaper gamble on a young, promising and quick forward from the lower leagues.
I just had this exact conversation with someone else about valuation.
We’re looking at it as fans (obviously) where as the club and Jez will look at it as a business proposition.
Two of the factors to consider in that respect:
* 2 years left on his contract. If he won’t sign a new one, we’ll be under major pressure to sell for much less next summer. Now is a chance to cash-in and get maximum value.
* Will his sale drastically effect the success of the club and therefore alter potential future revenues? Given how well Fletcher played and the opportunity Mick would have to spend big on a replacement, maybe not.
Moxey would sell his mother for any price, let alone the right price, so if ANY offer comes in for Doyle, he will go and Moxey will have another sackfull of unwarranted loot in his coffers.
Hope the Inland Revenue are keeping their beady eyes on the greaseball, and he gets done for embezelling, or something, the fat prick.
I agree that Dolye moving on will not be the worst thing in the world, providing he takes a fellow Irishman or two with him!!!
Clive. You remind me why I rarely read blogs and subsequent comments. Awful being a Wolves fan isn’t it! Nobber.
Was going to leave a rebuttal, retort or smart assed response…but decided not to waste the effort.
With Doyle we’ve got a focal point and for me, Shane Long, no matter how many waves he’s making in the Championship will leave us light up front. For me we’d need to re-invest the money if Doyle goes in a quality forward who could at least be guaranteed to get his share of goals(which would be a nice change as although the focal point, goals didn’t flow for Doyle). Don’t ask me who I’d want to come in in his place because I have no idea! haha I’ve heard Tevez isn’t happy living in Manchester! 😛 Maybe we could get O’Hara to convince him that the Midlands is the new Madrid!
A very good article Thomas.
If Doyle goes it should be with our best wishes.
His presence and play have been a huge contribution in keeping us up these last two seasons. However Fletcher showed, when Doyle was injured, that in a 4-5-1 he can be equally effective. The ‘new contract’ has not been signed and it sounds as if Johnson will be on higher wages. My feeling is that Doyle will be at Arsenal next season. He is the kind of player they need, to get that winning mentality. After what he has done for us as a club, I would not begrudge him a medal or two. In fact, if Arsenal do buy him, I am sure he will turn into the bargain of the year.
Is no one gonna mention the elephant in the room? if Doyle goes, MM will want another tireless workhorse to run the channels, win headers and hold the ball up. Might we see Stephen Ward lone striker in a 451 with SEB and Fletch warming the bench?
In all seriousness, having a more stable back 4 with (touch wood) RJ and maybe even a solid £5m left back would surely allow us to go 442, and with Fletch and SEB dovetailing each other and gobbling up the half chances we could be an unstoppable force! Maintain Doyle’s services and we’re laughing all the way to Europe.
Mick has said it would take silly money to open negotiations and so I’d expect at least £15m, with which we could buy that solid LB and poach either a promising Championship striker, or a kid from a big club like Vela or Sturridge.
Now those would be the days
I say if a club offers 14+ mil for Doyle, then let him go capture a major championship elsewhere and use Fletcher and SEB in a 4-4-2. Use the money we get for a young up and coming star striker (that’s preferably fast as lightning) to come off the bench.
Some fair comments but i’m not having the fact that Fletch will/could fill the boots of Doyle. As mentioned, this is a guy who puts the team above himself and consistently performs. Sleath, balance, hunger, skill and presence for such a small player.
I’m proud to say that in the 20+ years i’ve been supporting the Wolves the Doyler is easily up there as one of the best players i’ve seen to don our shirt. Not only would i be torn to see him move on but i think the gap and hole that he leaves would have a huge impact on our team when Mick inevitably reverts back to the 4-5-1.
i’m also not sure whether i should laugh or worry about the fact that Wardy could be playing a bigger role in the team if Doyle goes !!!!!
I want Doyle to stay. He gives us options and dimension if not goals.
Forget Shane Long – he’s unproven and not a patch on our Kev.
Doyle is our best player. Don’t underestimate the loss of this guy – its not as easy as “Doyle = Fletcher”.
We need to keep him. He’s been our best buy since Bully IMO.
I guess in the end it’s his choice but I really would like Doyle to stay – he’s brilliant!
Moving away from Doyle and onto the Johnson signing, I just read this post, which is epic:
http://www.whoscored.com/Blog/8thygefkquioeb96rhj85w/Show/Roger-Johnson-Wolves
Not only does it talk about Johnson as an individual, but also what we can expect from him. It even goes as far as to say who should play alongside him from the current crop of Wolves center backs.
Awesome.
I’d go with Stearman with him unless we sign another CB. Simply because he’s better than the other 2 if somewhat erratic. I hope to god this doesn’t fall through. I wouldn’t be suprised if Jarvis’ England cap may have been a slight tipping point in his decision to hopefully sign. With Ferdinand and Terry on the way out, Lescott on the bench, Upson being shite and Snalling and Jones perhaps still a tad raw it would leave Johnson as a definite competitor for Cahill and Jagielka as an England player? The message being you can play for England AND wolves. You don’t HAVE to play for a London club, although it does help.
Great stats man!
I love the nearly a shot a game stat. Surely thats better than any of our lot by a country mile. What did we average shots per game last season?
Blimey, we need a giant of a defender to plug the hole and all I’m thinking about are his chances of the Golden Boot award….
I still hope we sign a second centre half and a left back!
Stearman is still young enough to improve, and at least has some pace.
Does anyone know if Johnson is quick?
Any of our lot meaning defenders……mind you….
Does anyone think these links could just be something being floated about by his agent to bump up his wages on a new contract?
Like most of you lot out there (probably) – I scan the transfer gossip every day and Juventus seem to be linked with loads of English based players and then never sign any of them.
Doyle’s problem is that £12m is probably a fair price given his age and ability, but his value to Wolves is far greater. I just dont see him as an Arsenal player – after the links last weeks their blogs went mental with fans saying he wasn’t good enough etc – plus they have just signed a new striker and are also being linked with Karim Benzema of Real Madrid!
If he did go I think we should show more ambition than Long from our feeder club in the championship! Look at Stoke with the signing of Kenwyn Jones as an example.
Lots of decent Championship strikers can not cut it in the Prem so why take this risk at £7m? (Even SEB hasn’t looked a force compared to his golden boot heroics in the fizzy pop). If we had a decent scouting system i would suggest we should look abroad – but after the Hof lets stick to players in our own league!
Would £15m get us Daniel Sturridge for example? Probably not, but at least he has shown he can score goals at this level.
PS I have to say hats off to the board for the signing of Johnson (once confirmed) – this makes the price for Mills look rediculous, so Leicester you are welcome.
PPS In our third season in the Prem we are really moving up in the world regarding WAGs – we now have Danielle Lloyd and Melissa Johnson in the crowd. Might move my ticket to the Billy Wright stand!
Can we get them into short shorts, on the pitch or round a pole???
Who the hell are they anyway??
Don’t fergit, I’m in the backwaters of Texas, News of The World don’t get here, never will now, heh heh
First of all do we need to sell doyle, does he want to go cauld be all media
shite.Until he comes out and says he wants to leave i’m not worried.We
know how highly Arsene Wenger rates him so until somebody makes an offer why worry..I personally think he’s a special sort of player who can’t
be replaced so for me keep him at all costs,if we aspire for mid-table
safety don’t sell him.,But don’t forget the Moxey factor.££££££.
I heard a rumour that four players have been to the Mol for a medical…
* Johnson
* Upson
* Hargreaves
* Reo-Coker
Got to be b*llocks surely?
To be fair I wouldn’t say no to these players.
Johnson – we all want.
Upson – pretty shit last year but has a lot of experience in the prem and england set up, I think he’d be a good signing on a free.
Hargreaves – give him a pay as you play deal, to be honest I’m convinced after watching his “see how I run in tight shorts” videos on youtube.
Reo-Coker – I think he’s a very good player.