Jamie Donley continued his fine form on loan at Luton Town as the attacking midfielder scored a second half double to help his side defeat Doncaster Rovers 3-1 on Tuesday evening.
Donley, on a straight loan from Tottenham Hotspur with no option for the Hatters to buy him, slammed home after being teed up by Jake Richards early in the second half. The 21-year-old then doubled his account with 72 minutes on the clock after Doncaster could not clear Richards’ cross.
It was Donley's third and fourth goals of the season after previous strikes against Leyton Orient and Wycombe. The Spurs star also has three assists for Jack Wilshere's side, who sit eighth in League One.
football.london reported in the summer how Donley impressed Roberto De Zerbi in pre-season. The young midfielder was part of the pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia, where he showcased his versatility, engine and ability on the ball.
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Donley was given chances during pre-season but, with Spurs spending big money on the likes of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, it was decided the best option for his development would be another loan. He spent last season on loan at Stoke and Oxford and he has also had a spell with Leyton Orient.
Wilshere was keen on the Northern Ireland international and a deal was struck at the end of August. After the signing was announced, Wilshere explained why he decided to sign Donley.
“Jamie's a quality player and someone who we have kept our eye on since January. He went to the Championship with Oxford, but we’ve maintained a relationship with him," the former Arsenal midfielder said.
“One thing we've done really well in this window is that we’ve had targets we wanted to go after. We knew the positions we wanted to improve or add depth in, and Jamie’s definitely been top of that list for a long time, so to get it done feels like a really important signing. He’s a player that can make the difference in the final third, and he also gives us something different in the centre of midfield, being left-footed.
“I kept saying that we weren't done with our business, but we had to wait for the right opportunity. Players sometimes come up a little bit later in the window, especially those like Jamie, who was really close to the first team at Tottenham all pre-season, and then gets told late on that he can go out. It was always in the plans to strengthen in that area and we’re delighted to get this one over the line.”
With four goals and three assists, Donley is certainly making his mark in the final third, as Wilshere predicted. A product of the Spurs academy, Donley will now want to help fire Luton back to the Championship and, in doing so, give De Zerbi and Spurs a huge decision to make next summer.