Wolverhampton Wanderers attempted to bolster their squad during the recent summer transfer window as they brought in eight new signings.
Who did Wolves sign this summer?
The Old Gold, who started the window with Julen Lopetegui and ended it with Gary O’Neil in the dugout, made seven permanent additions to the group alongside one loan deal.
They snapped up Tommy Doyle on a season-long loan from Premier League and Champions League champions Manchester City, in a move that saw Matheus Nunes go the other way on a permanent basis.
Wolves also brought in Matheus Cunha, Matt Doherty, Tom King, Enso Gonzalez, Boubacar Traore, Santiago Bueno, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to improve their options across the pitch.
Doherty was a particularly interesting addition to the team as the Republic of Ireland international joined on a free transfer three years after his move away from the club to sign for Tottenham Hotspur.
Wolves played a masterclass with the right-back during his first spell at Molineux as Mick McCarthy struck gold by signing him in 2010.
How much did Wolves sign Doherty for in 2010?
The former Old Gold head coach was reportedly impressed by the then-18-year-old full-back during a pre-season friendly against Irish side Bohemians and swooped to secure his services for a fee within the region of £75k in 2010.
McCarthy took a relatively small gamble, given the size of the figure spent on him, by signing Doherty and it turned out to be an outstanding decision by the ex-Ipswich boss.
The teenage defender made 33 appearances for the club’s U21 side and enjoyed loan spells with Hibernian and Bury FC before he made his first-team breakthrough at Molineux.
His first season of semi-regular senior football came during the 2012/13 campaign as he played 13 Championship matches on their way to relegation to League One, where he then featured in 18 games throughout their promotion season.
Doherty then established himself as a regular starter during the 2014/15 term as he assisted five goals in 33 Championship outings.
Including that term, he went on to play 33 or more league matches for Wolves in each of his last six seasons for the club, which included four second division campaigns and two in the Premier League.
How much did Wolves sell Doherty for?
The Old Gold eventually opted to cash in on the defender for a reported fee of £15m in the summer of 2020 as Tottenham secured his signature.
This came after Doherty produced an eye-catching eight goals and 11 assists in 74 Premier League appearances for Wolves across the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns.
The Republic of Ireland international, who was hailed as a “machine” by journalist Tim Spiers, proved himself to be an excellent attacking threat from a right wing-back position and this caught the eye of those at Spurs, who decided to splash out to sign him.
This meant that Doherty’s value soared by a staggering 19,900%, from the initial £75k that was paid to Bohemians, over the course of his ten-year stay at Molineux.
Evidently, McCarthy well and truly struck gold by snapping him up from the Irish side after being impressed by his pre-season display against the Old Gold. Indeed, it ended up making the club an incredible profit whilst also giving them a reliable performer who racked up 303 first-team appearances.