‘Memories for life’ - Departing Man City midfielder sends emotional goodbye message

Tommy Doyle has posted an emotional goodbye to his boyhood club Manchester City.

Wolverhampton Wanderers announced on Friday that they have concluded a deal to sign the player from 1 July. Doyle has spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Molineux and, having impressed Gary O’Neil and club officials, Wolves decided to exercise an option to make the deal permanent.

It brings the midfielder’s 15-year affinity with City to an end, having joined the club at the age of eight. Doyle has a particularly strong connection to the Blues, with both his grandfathers, Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe, playing in City’s 1968 title-winning side.

Unsurprisingly, Doyle feels sentimental about his departure from the Etihad and posted a goodbye message to the club on Friday.

“Thank you @ManCity,” he wrote on X. “My boyhood club & a place that feels so special to me and my family. 

“From the coaches, to all the back room staff in the academy & to my teammates, you’ve given me friendships, learnings and memories for life. Wishing you all the best for the future!”

Doyle, who captained City’s Under-18 side to FA Youth Cup glory in 2020, played seven times for Pep Guardiola’s first team, the last of which came in February 2021. The 22-year-old also enjoyed spells on loan at Hamburg, Cardiff City and Sheffield United prior to his move to Wolves.

As part of the permanent transfer, the Midlands club will pay a fee of £4.5m and have agreed to pay City 50 percent of any future transfer. The reigning Premier League champions also have a buy-back option, meaning this may not be goodbye for Doyle after all.