--- title: "Profit Players: Matt Doherty has been a consistent presence for Wolves throughout a turbulent decade" canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/profit-players-matt-doherty-has-been-a-consistent-presence-for-wolves-throughout-a-turbulent-decade/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Liam Togher" section: "Features" published: "2019-11-17T07:05:19Z" modified: "2019-11-17T07:05:19Z" --- # Profit Players: Matt Doherty has been a consistent presence for Wolves throughout a turbulent decade ![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Profit-Players-1.png) **This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.** In July 2010, Wolves cruised to a [3-0 pre-season friendly win](https://web.archive.org/web/20100815122539/http://www.wolves.co.uk/page/News/0%2C%2C10307~2094915%2C00.html) against League of Ireland club Bohemians in Dublin, with the performance of one player catching the Molineux club’s eye. [A month later](https://web.archive.org/web/20110325134429/http://www.wolves.co.uk/page/News/0%2C%2C10307~2127054%2C00.html), young right-back Matt Doherty swapped Bohemians for Wolves in a cut-price deal worth €80,000 (£65,464), as per the [Irish Independent](https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/the-making-of-matt-doherty-how-the-dubliner-became-a-key-part-of-the-wolves-revolution-38414735.html), who noted that his “[impressive](https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/the-making-of-matt-doherty-how-the-dubliner-became-a-key-part-of-the-wolves-revolution-38414735.html)” performance against Matt Jarvis prompted compatriot Mick McCarthy to bring him to the Black Country. Doherty was only 18 when he crossed the Irish Sea and initially [moved in with Wolves team-mate and fellow Irishman Stephen Ward](https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/the-making-of-matt-doherty-how-the-dubliner-became-a-key-part-of-the-wolves-revolution-38414735.html), being given a [first-team debut in the FA Cup against Doncaster](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/171679/verein/543) in January 2011 and a [Premier League debut away to Liverpool](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/171679/wettbewerb/GB1/verein/543) eight months later. Wolves were relegated from the top flight that season, by which stage the Irish youngster had been [loaned out to Hibernian](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/16825307). He had another loan spell at Bury during the 2012/13 campaign before [financial trouble at the club resulted in him returning to Molineux](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12691/8379009/Shakers-duo-back-at-Wolves) midway through the season. Doherty finally got [regular game-time at Wolves](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/171679/plus/0/saison/2012/wettbewerb/GB2/verein/543) in the opening months of 2013 under Dean Saunders but could not prevent a second successive relegation. Even though the Welshman who [gave the defender his break at Molineux](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatentrainer/spieler/171679) left that summer, [his successor Kenny Jackett](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/wolverhampton-wanderers/mitarbeiterhistorie/verein/543) still handed Doherty [22 appearances in 2013/14](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/171679), during which the right-back also [signed a new contract with the club](https://www.wolves.co.uk/news/article/doherty-aiming-high-060913-1039690.aspx). Wolves were [back in the Championship a year later](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/wolverhampton-wanderers/platzierungen/verein/543) and their Irish right-back became a consistent presence in the team since 2014, clocking [33 or more league appearances in each subsequent season](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/171679). Jackett, Paul Lambert and Walter Zenga [all departed](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/wolverhampton-wanderers/mitarbeiterhistorie/verein/543) as managers at the club in that time, but Doherty remained part of the furniture at Molineux and that hasn’t changed since Nuno Espirito Santo [took charge in 2017](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/wolverhampton-wanderers/mitarbeiterhistorie/verein/543). Including caretakers, he has played under [seven managers in his Wolves career](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatentrainer/spieler/171679). The Irishman [missed only one Championship game](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/171679) in the promotion season of 2017/18 and featured in every Premier League match last term, starting all but three (as per [WhoScored](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/94042/History/Matt-Doherty)). Doherty got forward to tremendous effect for Wolves throughout 2018/19, scoring no fewer than [eight goals in all competitions](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/171679) as they [finished seventh in the league](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/wolverhampton-wanderers/platzierungen/verein/543) and [reached the FA Cup semi-finals](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/wolverhampton-wanderers/pokalhistorie/verein/543). A [knee injury in the summer](https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2019/08/27/wolves-matt-doherty-not-100-per-cent-yet/) curtailed his pre-season involvement but he has again been a core presence in Nuno’s team this term, with [17 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdaten/spieler/171679) in all competitions and [two goals](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdaten/spieler/171679). Doherty was the [PFA Premier League Player of the Month](https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2018/10/08/wolves-matt-doherty-voted-pfa-fans-player-of-the-month/) in September 2018 and was even touted to win the Player of the Year prize by Irish radio pundit Alan Cawley last season on [2FM](https://2fm.rte.ie/2fm-shows/game-on/)‘s *Game On* \[[via extra.ie](https://extra.ie/2019/02/07/sport/soccernews/matt-doherty-poty)\], while former Leeds and Ireland player John Giles told [Off The Ball](https://www.offtheball.com/soccer/just-start-matt-doherty-whats-big-deal-john-giles-913378) that the 27-year-old “played brilliantly” throughout the campaign. The Republic of Ireland right-back has been from the Premier League to the third tier and back again during his nine years at Wolves, for whom he has [played 269 times](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/171679) and scored [23 goals](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/171679), as well as [setting up another 37](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/171679). He has gone from being [in a Wolves team that lost at home to Walsall in League One](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/spielbericht/index/spielbericht/2332378) six years ago to [starting each of their Europa League group games](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/matt-doherty/leistungsdaten/spieler/171679) this season as they stand [on the brink of making the knockout rounds](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50322318) of that competition. When you look at those figures and then realise that Doherty’s transfer fee was lower than the weekly wages of current Wolves team-mates Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio (£100,000-a-week, as per [spotrac.com](https://www.spotrac.com/epl/wolverhampton-wanderers-f.c/payroll/)), the right-back has been exceptionally great value for the Molineux club. ***Wolves fans, has Doherty’s signing been one of the club’s greatest-ever bargains? Have your say by commenting below!***