Tottenham academy talent Jamie Donley is expected to have many suitors if recalled from Stoke City loan in January
Tottenham Hotspur decided to loan out several youngsters and academy talents in the summer to get regular game time and competitive experience. While many have been doing well on loan, there are a few who have struggled to make a mark at their new clubs. One of them in Jamie Donley.
Jamie Donley joined Championship club Stoke City on a season-long loan in the summer. The creative midfielder made the move to Stoke City after a successful spell at Leyton Orient last term, where he netted eight League One goals and supplied 10 assists as he fired his side to the play-off final, but fell short against Charlton Athletic.
However, the Spurs loanee has failed to get chances to showcase his talent at Stoke City. Barring being named in the starting for both Carabao Cup games, Donley has been devoid of regular opportunities in the Championship. In fact, he hasn’t started a league game for the Potters and went six successive fixtures being an unused substitute before getting nine minutes in the 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers before the October international break.
Yet, the 20-year-old was called up to the Northern Ireland squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Germany. Donley did not feature in either of the games.
Donley should be recalled from loan if his situation at Stoke City does not change
Donley has been tipped for more game time at Stoke City by Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill. The youngster finds himself behind Bae Jun-ho in the pecking order, something Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham has been critical of. He feels if Donley’s situation does not change at Stoke, there could be several clubs vying for his services in the winter transfer window, leaving Tottenham with a big decision to make.
“I think the stats start to speak for themselves. Donley’s had about 50 minutes in the number 10 role this season and has an assist to his name. The guy they’ve put in there has had about 11 games and has got one assist to his name. So, I’m not sure how much more he can do, really,” John Wenham exclusively told Tottenham News.
“He will be working hard, he’ll be scoring high on the distance run in, the long distance run, pressing from the front. But if he isn’t going to give him an opportunity, then when the January transfer window comes around, I’m sure there’ll be many, many other clubs looking to snap him up.”
Spurs must recall Donley from Stoke loan
Mark Robins has got pretty much everything spot and has got Stoke challenging for the promotion spots. The Potters are fifth in the table, four points behind leaders Coventry City. So, Donley not getting minutes at Bet365 Stadium has not been talked about much, and Bae Jun-ho’s poor outings in the No.10 role have also gone off the radar.
Donley’s development at Stoke is being hampered, and if the situation does not change in the next two months, Tottenham must cancel his loan. Given his talent and how he performed at Leyton last season, it goes without saying that there would be plenty of English clubs keen to taken the Northern Ireland international on loan for the second half of the campaign.
