How 8 goal academy graduate can develop into a first teamer at Tottenham under Thomas Frank – Opinion

Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to evolve in a lot of capacities, starting with structure, as the North Londoners look to begin a new chapter at Hotspur Way with Thomas Frank taking charge, and the Dane head coach will be focused on developing the young players that the Lilywhites have within the corridors of Hotspur Way. And that, I think, would have been the big reason for Daniel Levy to pursue signing the former Brentford manager given his record of nurturing young players and embedding them tactically into senior football. And one name that is set to have an immediate benefit from the incoming 51-year-old is Jamie Donley, the 20-year-old Lilywhites academy product who is set to return to N17 after an impressive loan spell at Leyton Orient.

He netted eight (8) goals complemented by further laying off ten (10) assists in League One and gained high praise from none others then Pep Guardiola, and this creates a pathway as Donley now has a platform to break into Tottenham’s first-team roster.

So we take this opportunity to see how Thomas Frank can unlock the potential that the Lilywhites academy graduate possesses…

Donley has that tactical elegance…

The 20-year-old has that ball progression ability given how he likes to vertically drive with the ball and majorly through the lines, which makes him excellent in the build-up phases of the game. And given his vision and passing ability, he does have that final third creative action that can end up creating a lot of goals for the North Londoners, especially if he is playing in that second striker role.

He has that ability to take the ball on his left foot and finesse it past the goalkeeper.

But it’s his off-the-ball work that makes it worth considering, given how he is a highly intelligent presser and he understands the triggers (which is important in the mid-block that Thomas Frank likes to deploy in his teams). And he also likes to ghost himself into those zone 14 and 17 spaces and is really smart at picking up channels.

I think that Donely could be really suited to an attacking midfield role given his ability to operate as a second striker (or maybe as an inverted winger), and this suits so many of the players with similar attributes that have succeeded under Thomas Frank.

How does Donley fit in the system that Thomas Frank is expected to deploy at Tottenham?

The Dane head coach is expected to stick to his 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 hybrid system where he is transitioning fluidly between compact mid-blocks and structured presses. But if we think about these systems and relatively about how Brentford played under him, there are a few things that need to happen, and it starts with midfielders making late runs while the offensive players are rotating on the inside to overload half-spaces. And this also needs a press-resistant #10 who also tracks back.

And this is how I feel Donley fits into these systems:

If we are talking about a 4-3-3, then I would play him as a left #8 (advanced interior). Here he is playing as a link from defence to offence, and then he arrives late into the box.

Tactically speaking, having him there also ends up creating space for inverted fullbacks like Udogie to overlap.

But if he is to be pushed into the 3-5-2, I think this is his best position where he can play as a secondary striker or more of a shadow forward. This is where he is the key connection from midfield into the final third, and he is tasked with ghosting behind the primary striker (Solanke or even Tel). I think this ghosting capacity in an SS role could reap massive dividends against low blocks.

So what is next for Donley?

TBR Football reported that that Frank could use the upcoming pre-seaosn as an opportunity to evaluate Donley and he could maybe end up trying the Lilywhites academy graduate in Domestic cup games, especially in the weeks where the North Londoners need to rotate ahead of Champions League games.

I think if he is not loaned out he will likely get some minutes as an interior sub or advanced 8 sub in the second half of matches against mid and low table sides which Tottenham are comfortable in.

Author Opinion

I think that Jamie Donley is more than an academy bloke with statistics; he has shown how he is actually a tactically mature kid, and under Thomas Frank, who prioritises system intelligence over flair, he should have a great chance to grow into a first-team player, especially if he can adjust to the speed of the English top tier.