Northern Ireland’s Jamie Donley is reportedly on the cusp of completing a season-long loan move to League One club Luton Town from Tottenham Hotspur with the attacker “undergoing a medical” on Friday.
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Donley featured for big-spending Spurs in pre-season friendlies against MK Dons, Auckland, Sydney, Chelsea and Hoffenheim after catching the eye of manager Roberto De Zerbi, but will now head out on loan to continue his development.
The 21-year-old is set to link up with international team-mate Callum Marshall at Kenilworth Road and work under ex-Arsenal star Jack Wilshere.
Lilywhite Rose reported Donley was in “advanced talks” over a move to Luton and had travelled for a medical on Friday morning.
Donley enjoyed tremendous personal success in his last loan move in League One – he scored eight goals and provided 10 assists for Leyton Orient during the 2024/25 season.
He also starred in their FA Cup clash with Premier League giants Manchester City, leading to high praise from Orient boss Richie Wellens.
“Going forward Championship will be minimum for him,” he said. “Unless we’re in the Championship, there’s no way we get him back next year.
“The plan for Jamie was one of two things. He comes to us, develops, grows into a man and then goes back to Tottenham and maybe gets into their first team.
“If not, then he goes to the Championship, so there is a clear development plan for him going forward.
“Spurs have been great with us, loaned us one of their best young players and we think we’ve developed him really well over the last six months.
“And if he carries on with the same attitude, the same intensity, the same work ethic and mentality, then he might be playing against City week in, week out.”
Donley spent time in the Championship with Stoke City and Oxford United last season, making 17 league appearances across both spells.
He 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.”