Tottenham have to recall Jamie Donley from his loan spell with Stoke City as soon as the January window opens after new reports of interest in his services from Bolton Wanderers.
Donley impressed on loan at Leyton Orient last season as he registered eight goals and 11 assists in his first loan away from Tottenham.
His impressive League One performances saw him placed on the radar of numerous Championship teams ahead of this term, with Stoke City chosen as his new team for this campaign in August.
The Northern Ireland playmaker started well as he grabbed an assist on his debut for the club, but he has seriously struggled for game time ever since.
Donley last played for the Potters on 21 October, and Spurs must take action to recall him and send him to a new club amid fresh reports of interest in his signature.
Bolton are interested in Donley – Spurs must recall him from Stoke spell
Spurs fans were raving about Donley as he scored on international duty last month, but his potential has not been realised in North Staffordshire as yet.
Mark Robins has only allowed him to make six substitute appearances so far this term, with just two of those being starts.
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It certainly hasn’t been what any party involved will have wanted, and Tottenham will no doubt have been weighing up a decision to recall the 20-year-old next month.
They should definitely do so, especially now that reporter Alan Nixon has claimed that League One outfit Bolton Wanderers want to sign Donley on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
The report states that he has been “unhappy” at Stoke, and Wanderers admire Donley from his time at Orient last season, while Spurs may be happy to see him going back to League One for more game-time.
Such a move makes a lot of sense, as, for whatever reason, he has struggled to make the step-up to the Championship so far, yet was clearly a top player in the third tier.
He is unlikely to come into favour in the Potteries as Robins eyes new additions in the January window to aid his side’s promotion push, so Spurs should act to recall Donley as soon as possible.
Why has Donley not been a success at Stoke?
There can be many reasons why a young player struggles to adapt to life on loan in the Championship, with the physicality and intensity of the league often a main factor.
That did not seem to be the case with Donley, especially after his spell in League One last term, so his issues have mainly come down to some of Stoke’s attacking players being their key men so far in 2025-26.
The 20-year-old plays as an attacking midfielder, which is where South Korea international Bae Jun-ho has been one of their most influential stars, while Netherlands youth international Million Manhoef has locked down the right-wing position.
Stoke have been in the play-off race for the whole campaign so far, and so Robins’ reluctance to mix up a strong team has been understandable, for the most part.
Sheffield United won 2-1 at the bet365 Stadium on Monday to push them four points away from the top six, however, and their recent run of one win in seven will have left Donley frustrated at his lack of chances.
The fact that he has still not played while their starters have struggled for form shows that he faces a season of being on the bench if he stays with the Potters, so Tottenham have to recall him soon to loan him back out to Bolton.