John Wenham wants Tottenham teen Donley promoted to first team – ‘he’s got a wonderful left foot’
Tottenham News is delighted to welcome John Wenham of Lilywhite Rose as our exclusive columnist. Each week, he’ll be giving his expert insight on the biggest talking points at Spurs…
Tottenham academy star Jamie Donley has “the right mentality” to make the step up to the first team, according to John Wenham.
Donley has starred for the club’s Under-21s this season, scoring or assisting a goal in every match he has featured in.
As a result of his fine form, the 18-year-old earned himself a call-up to the senior squad, featuring on the bench during Spurs’ dramatic late win against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday 30 September.
Wenham believes that the youngster is more than deserving of the opportunity he was given.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, Wenham said: “In my opinion, he’s got the right mentality, which is a key thing for any young player to have, to not be afraid of stepping up to the first team.
“If we have a space in the squad for one academy player, it should definitely be Jamie Donley. He’s got the physical attributes to handle playing senior men’s football, which is a key component.
“People don’t realise when going up to professional level and playing someone with 300 games under his belt, you can’t get near him. It’s a different world, you’ve got to be physically very tough, and you’ve got to be emotionally intelligent.
“I can’t think of anyone better from our academy than Jamie Donley to step up into that first team set-up. He can also play a deeper role, he’s not just the striker, his passing ability is phenomenal. He’s got a wonderful left foot, and he’s got a really good composure and attitude about him. He’s also very good at pressing so he can easily slot into the forward positions.
“For me, Donley should be considerably further ahead than Alejo Veliz in the pecking order, from what I’ve seen so far.”
In other Tottenham news, Ange Postecoglou has shared a timeline for the return of Bryan Gil.