Tottenham Hotspur tipped to cut short Jamie Donley’s loan at Stoke City if his situation does not improve until late December
Several young talents left Tottenham Hotspur on loan during the summer transfer window. Jamie Donley was one of them as he joined Stoke City for the 2025/26 campaign.
Jamie Donley had a strong 2024/25 season on loan with Leyton Orient in League One. The creative midfielder bagged eight goals and 10 assists as he fired Leyton Orient to the play-off final, but fell short against Charlton Athletic. The motive to join Stoke City in the Championship was to build on last season’s performances and further his development; however, things have not gone as per the plan.
The 20-year-old has played just four times in the Championship, clocking 77 minutes thus far. He is yet to start a league game for Stoke City and was an unused substitute in last weekend’s narrow win over Portsmouth. Yet, Donley was called up to the Northern Ireland squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Germany. He did not feature in either of the games.
Tottenham backed to cut short Donley’s loan at Stoke City
Tottenham have been following Donley’s loan with the Potters and must not be happy. Obviously, they would have loved their academy talent to play regularly in the Championship and get used to the pace and intensity of men’s football.
Being used sporadically would not have gone down well at N17, with reputable Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham expecting the club to recall Donley if his situation at Bet365 Stadium does not change in the next two months.
“Hopefully, he can continue getting some more minutes and some opportunities because otherwise, on 1 January, Tottenham needs to recall Donley and put him somewhere else,” John Wenham exclusively told Tottenham News.
“It’s a waste of an outstanding talent. He’s got to be playing and carry on developing after his outstanding year last year.
“So, I imagine they’ll be reviewing his situation carefully over November and December, and if it doesn’t change, then absolutely, another championship club will take him. No dramas and give him time.”
Spurs must recall Donley and send him on loan to another Championship club
Donley is an exciting talent having come through the Tottenham academy, and there are big hopes from him. He was expected to kick on at Stoke following his exploits in the League One last season, but their boss Mark Robins seemingly does not trust the midfielder.
Tottenham cannot allow the youngster’s talent to go waste at Stoke and must recall him in January. Given his reputation, Donley should get plenty of offers from mid-table Championship clubs and lower tier outfits. The Lilywhites must then send him to a club that provides the creative talent with regular minutes. There is no point for the Northern Ireland international to warm the benches at Stoke and ruin his talent.
