‘A bit wary’: £50k-a-week player explains why he was ‘worried’ about joining Wolves in the summer

Wolves defender Matt Doherty admits he had reservations about returning to Wolves at first, but that it was a ‘no-brainer’ in the end.

Doherty was Wolves’ second signing of the summer, joining on a free transfer from Atletico Madrid.
It was a surprising move given Doherty’s reputation as a top wing-back. And Wolves had abandoned the formation in which he excelled.

But he was a player Julen Lopetegui was desperate to bring in, and the board was dead set on signing him.

Doherty, who earns £50,000 per week, has only made seven appearances so far. Three of those have been starts, two of which have come in the Carabao Cup.

However, Wolves have recently resumed using the wing-backs system, which means Doherty will be an important squad player going forward.

Matt Doherty comments on re-signing for Wolves, admitting he was initially worried

 

 

Doherty was speaking about returning to Wolves at an open training session at Molineux this week.

The Republic of Ireland international is delighted to be returning to Molineux.

However, the 31-year-old admits he had reservations about returning. “You’re a little bit wary at the start about going back on what I’ve done before, you know?” he told talkSPORT’s Ian Abrahams (as quoted by a Wolves official). I was just worried that I’d ruin what I’d done before, that the second spell wouldn’t go as well, and other such things.

“But once you get over that, it was kind of a no-brainer in the end.”

Doherty was a smart signing by Wolves

It’s interesting to hear Doherty admit he had reservations about returning to Wanderers.

It’s understandable that he was concerned about coming in and falling short of his previous performance. Especially with the Wolves switching primary formations.

But something clearly compelled him to return to Molineux – and it’s a good thing he did.

He might not be the same player he was the first time. But Doherty is a seasoned Premier League player with plenty to offer both on and off the field. Indeed, Joe Hodge has praised the star’s professionalism.

He’ll be useful, especially since Gary O’Neil has shown a preference for deploying a wing-backs system, which obviously suits Doherty better.