Tottenham to end Jamie Donley loan within days at Stoke – Next club possibly revealed
Jamie Donley has endured a nightmare spell on loan at Stoke City this season.
Tottenham are expected to be busy in the January transfer window, with several outgoings likely ahead of some new signings.
Thomas Frank is under major pressure at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and needs a good winter, both on and off the pitch, to solidify his position.
Spurs beat Crystal Palace 1-0 on Sunday, easing the tension slightly after back-to-back defeats to Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, respectively, but more work is needed.
It could start with Donley.
Spurs set to take Jamie Donley action
Donley signed for Stoke City on a season-long loan deal this summer, after the 20-year-old attacking midfielder shone in League One with Leyton Orient last season.
The Tottenham academy graduate scored eight goals and provided 11 assists in 52 total appearances for the Orient in 2024-25, showcasing why he’s been highly thought of at Spurs for some time.
However, Donley has made just six appearances in all competitions for Stoke so far this season, with only four of those coming in the Championship, providing one assist and zero goals.
Now, in a fresh update from transfer reporter Alan Nixon via Patreon, Tottenham should recall Donley at some point in the next couple of days.
But, he may not be back for long, with Bolton already sniffing around the Northern Ireland international for the second half of the season.
Nixon states that Tottenham may well be happy to see the attacker go back to League One as well.
- Read more: Wilson Odobert makes Tottenham breakthrough after what happened in 27-minute Crystal Palace cameo
Donley should’ve made more of Stoke City opportunity
Despite being highly rated at Tottenham for several years now, Donley needs to prove himself at a higher level than League One if he’s going to have a future in North London.
At Stoke, he landed in a favourable situation to show his quality at Championship level, working under a manager in Mark Robins, who is renowned as one of the best coaches at second-tier level.
Stoke’s regular starter there, Lewis Baker, has been out injured since early November, and 22-year-old Bae Junho has been inconsistent and is potentially looking at a January exit too.
- Donley has made four first-team appearances for Tottenham
- He’s made 54 appearances for Spurs’ Under-21s, scoring 13 goals
- Donley played 45 games for Tottenham’s Under-18s, scoring 29 goals
Therefore, Donley had a big opportunity to carve out a key starting role at the Bet365 Stadium, but he simply hasn’t been in Robins’ thinking, which is concerning.
So, if Donley wants to make a career of it at Tottenham, then he’s going to need to show he can perform at a higher level than third-tier football soon.
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