Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate Jamie Donley is coming off of a very promising season with Leyton Orient in League One, and that’s now put him on the radar of at least one Championship club. The Birmingham World is reporting that West Bromwich Albion has “enquired” about taking the 20 year old attacking midfielder on loan for the 2025-26 season.
In his first season on loan, Donley has been omnipresent in Orient’s lineup, amassing eight goals and 10 assists this season. That’s more assists than any other player in League One. It’s been an impressive campaign for Donley, and despite not currently having a permanent manager after the club sacked Gary Mowbray earlier in the season, are still working on their summer transfer business.
Interestingly, Tottenham assistant coach Ryan Mason is reportedly a candidate for the open head coaching position at West Brom, and if he were to get the job it would make for some natural synergy with some of Spurs’ more promising academy talent. West Brom took Spurs striker Will Lankshear on loan in January, but he was mostly a reserve player and had zero G+A for the Baggies.
A lot of Spurs fans are looking at Donley as a potential first team player at Spurs, but it might be a little too soon for him to make a significant impact. Tottenham need improved depth and that’s likely to come in the form of more experienced professionals. I can certainly make a good case that it’s better for Donley’s long term development for him to move up a division and get some solid minutes in what is one of the most competitive leagues in world football. There’s certainly no hurry, even if Spurs need a creative backup to James Maddison.
It’s an interesting rumor, and I’m willing to bet that West Brom won’t be the only Championship club interested in Donley this summer. There’s certainly no hurry to ship him out yet, so I wouldn’t expect anything to be decided for quite some time.