Andy Thompson picked out one Wolves star for praise after the defeat to Arsenal, and believes he is ‘getting better and better’ under Gary O’Neil.
Wanderers fell to a 2-0 defeat at Molineux, with the manager fielding a weakened side for a couple of reasons.
There are some important games coming up now, and ones that Wolves have a greater chance of winning. With that in mind, O’Neil decided to hand Mario Lemina and Pablo Sarabia a rest against the Gunners, bringing them on later in the second-half.
There were more injury absentees, so there was a first start for Tawanda Chirewa in attack, alongside Hwang Hee-chan.
Wolves put in a good, spirited performance at Molineux, but came up just short against a quality side pushing for the Premier League title.
Andy Thompson spoke after the game, and one player left him rather impressed…
Andy Thompson raves over Tommy Doyle as Wolves prepare to sign him
Tommy Doyle started for Wolves in midfield as part of a three, with Joao Gomes and Boubacar Traore in there with him.
It was his 29th appearance of the season, and his sixth start in the last seven Premier League games. Doyle also played in Wolves’ last two FA Cup games against Coventry City and Brighton.
The 22-year-old has been gaining more prominence in recent times, and has definitely been making a strong impression.
Against Arsenal, he was really solid again in a midfield that included an inexperienced Traore, and former Molineux full-back Andy Thompson was impressed by his display.
He said on Matchday Live Extra: “I tell you what, Doyle, he just seems to be getting better every game. He didn’t give much away, he was chasing everything down. He was coming up against a player who I think is probably the best in his position in the league, and that’s Declan Rice – a £100 million player.
“You saw the quality of Rice towards the end there where he can drive forward and get his team going. But I tell you what, Doyle did more than enough against him – he gave him a battle tonight.”
Wolves officials are also clearly very happy with what Doyle has been doing. It has been reported that the club are now preparing to trigger their £4.3 million option to buy the player from Manchester City.
Doyle has been a top addition for Wolves
It has been pretty clear for a while now that Doyle is a young player with serious potential, and is very comfortable at this level.
Some were not too sure about him in the beginning after Wolves reignited their interest in him when Matheus Nunes was moving to City.
He took a bit of time to get going. But his quality is clear, and he is a fantastic complement to Lemina and Gomes, who are more athletic and energetic.
The report that Wolves are planning to trigger their option to buy him is welcome news. As Thompson says, he’s getting better every game and he could very well become a top Premier League midfielder in the years to come.