Jamie Donley continued his fine form on loan at Luton Town as the attacking midfielder scored a second-half brace to beat Doncaster Rovers 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Donley, on direct loan from Tottenham Hotspur, crashed home after being beaten by Jake Richards early in the second half before the Hatters had any chance of buying him. The 21-year-old doubled his tally on 72 minutes as Doncaster failed to clear Richards’ cross.
It was Donley’s third and fourth goals of the season after earlier strikes against Leyton Orient and Wycombe. The Spurs star also provided three assists for Jack Wilshere’s side, who are eighth in League One.
football.london revealed how Donley had impressed Roberto De Zerbi in pre-season in the summer. The young midfielder was part of the pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia where he showcased his versatility, motor and ability on the ball.
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Donley was given a chance in pre-season, but with Spurs spending big on the likes of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, it was decided the best option for his development would be another loan. He spent last season on loan at Stoke and Oxford and also enjoyed success at Leyton Orient.
Wilshere was interested in the Northern Ireland international and a deal was completed at the end of August. After the signing was announced, Wilshere explained his decision to sign Donley.
“Jamie is a quality player and someone we’ve had our eye on since January. He went to the Championship with Oxford but we’ve maintained our relationship with him,” said the former Arsenal midfielder.
“One thing we’ve done really well in this window is that we’ve had targets we’ve wanted to go after. We’ve known the positions we’ve wanted to improve or add depth to and Jamie has been at the top of that list for a long time, so it feels like a really important signing to make. He’s a player who can make a difference in the final third and he also gives something different in central left midfield.
“I said we weren’t done, but we had to wait for the right opportunity. Players sometimes come a little late in the window, especially players like Jamie, who was very close to the first team at Tottenham all pre-season, then sooner or later they say he can leave the team. We always had plans to strengthen in this area and we are happy to cross that line.”
With four goals and three assists, Donley is certainly making his mark in the final third, as Wilshere predicted. A product of the Spurs academy, Donley will now be keen to help Luton back into the Championship, giving De Zerbi and Spurs a big decision to make next summer.