Northern Ireland international Jamie Donley has reportedly “impressed” Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi during pre-season training – and has been named in their squad for a tour of New Zealand and Australia.
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Donley returned to the Premier League giants this summer following a loan spell at Oxford United, where he scored once in 13 Championship appearances.
The 21-year-old shone during a temporary stint at Leyton Orient alongside fellow countryman Ethan Galbraith in 2024/25, netting eight goals alongside providing 10 assists for the League One club.
His initial loan to Stoke City didn’t work out last season with Donley recalled before being sent to Oxford, who had an option to secure his services on a permanent basis.
However, Donley could potentially be part of De Zerbi’s plans at Spurs with Football London reporting the attacker has caught the eye of his new boss and have said “it appears he will get his chance to impress De Zerbi before an exit is sanctioned”.
Donley has been included in a star-studded 35-player squad for Tottenham’s pre-season tour alongside the likes of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and James Maddison.
De Zerbi’s side are set to face A-League champions Auckland at Eden Park on Sunday before two matches in Australia against Sydney FC and Chelsea.
Donley played 45 minutes in Wednesday’s 1-0 friendly win over MK Dons and outlined his intention to hit the ground running this summer as he looks to force his way into De Zerbi’s squad.
“If I carry on the way I’m going, I just want to take it game by game, and whatever happens in the summer, I’ll be trying to do my best to get into the Spurs team,” he said after scoring for Northern Ireland against Wales in March. “I think it makes it even more difficult (to watch last season’s struggles) when I could maybe play a part in it.
"Obviously I’m a young player but I still think I can play a part in that Tottenham side. As a Spurs fan it’s disappointing but if I go back there in the summer I’ll try and impress in pre-season.”
Donley has developed into an important player for Northern Ireland since pledging his international allegiance to the nation in March 2025.
The Antrim-born forward has scored twice in 10 senior appearances for Michael O’Neill’s side and been the preferred striker in recent months, starting in a World Cup play-off semi-final defeat to Italy in March.
“Jamie’s a real player with real quality,” said O’Neill after Donley scored against Luxembourg last year. “I wanted to see him as a nine – there’s no secret that’s a problem position for us.
"He brings different attributes from some of the others.
“He's a really high technical level of a player. Great left foot, real awareness, great vision. He's just a really good footballer, as simple as that.
"I watched him at Orient last year in many games; I thought he was the best player on the pitch.
"He just looks like that player that has been at a high level as a young player at a club like Tottenham all his days.
“Obviously he's still a Tottenham player at this minute in time...he's just got himself in a situation where his loan has not gone as well as he'd hoped.
"That's happened to many players. Many players have gone through that situation where the loan is not always a success. But they learn from that as well. He's only 20 years of age, so he's got it all ahead of him.”