Jamie Donley will be keen to prove himself at Tottenham after a fruitful loan spell with Leyton Orient.
Donley enjoyed a stellar campaign last time out as he became a key player in Leyton Orient’s promotion push.
The 20-year-old contributed to 19 goals across 52 appearances and even obtained Pep Guardiola’s approval when his shot from the halfway line forced a Stefan Ortega own goal in the FA Cup against Manchester City.
As a result, Donley is attracting plenty of interest, but will be hoping for his chance to shine at Spurs, and recent developments involving James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski could allow him that chance.
Donley could ‘stake his claim’ at Tottenham after injury setbacks
As reported by Football London (25 June), Tottenham are currently rebuffing loan advances for Donley, who has four years left on his contract.
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It is understood that the Lilywhites plan to reassess his situation later this summer once Thomas Frank has had the opportunity to take a closer look at the playmaker.
As such, Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham – speaking exclusively to Tottenham News – believes current injuries to Maddison and Kulusevski could open the door for Donley at Spurs.
“I imagine Donley will go on the pre-season tour,” Wenham said.
“It’s an interesting situation with Donley at the moment because Maddison and Kulusevski are injured. Therefore, in the pre-season games, not only will Donley be given a chance to stake his claim, but he could stake his claim in the team in his natural position.
“I think when he plays in his actual position, that’s when we will see the best of Donley, and Frank might then decide that he wants to keep him around for the season.”
Donley has a lot to offer Frank
There is little doubt that Donley will end up impressing Frank in the same way he did Richie Wellens at Orient. While the Spurs gem has adapted to the second striker position over the past couple of months, he performs best as an attacking midfielder.
The injuries to Spurs’ first attacking midfield picks could end up benefiting the youngster during pre-season, who otherwise would not have been allowed to shine.
Furthermore, Donley also performed well as a defensive midfielder when deployed there last season, which makes his case stronger. Therefore, the 20-year-old could be just what Frank needs to spice up his squad next season.