Jamie Donletellsy up about Son’s guidance and his plan to get Postecoglou’s attention at Tottenham.
EXCLUSIVE: The young Tottenham prodigy has chatted with Football.London after grabbing the eye this season and earning a shot in the Premier League.
Jamie Donley is in a happy place. The 19-year-old, a lifelong Spurs supporter, has just walked off the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium pitch after four assists in an electrifying performance that has caught Ange Postecoglou’s eye this season.
The numbers of teenagers in this campaign are absurd. Donley has provided 17 assists and seven goals for Spurs’ U21s in just 19 games, while also scoring five goals in five appearances for England’s U19s. They are the statistics of a player who is improving so quickly that he is on the verge of being too good for U21 football while still learning on his way to the first team.
So far, Postecoglou has given him three Premier League outings off the bench for Tottenham, trusting him in tight games against major clubs like Manchester City and Brentford, as well as coming on against Newcastle and Burnley in the FA Cup.
On Saturday, among those his age, Donley was by far the best player on the pitch, helping Spurs reach the Premier League Cup quarter-finals with a 6-0 win over League Two side Fleetwood Town in a U21s game played in front of nearly 2,000 fans at the first team’s home in N17.
Donley was a powerful striker when he first came through the academy, but a shortage of fit midfielders in the U21s last season, along with his eye for a ball, pushed him further down the pitch and helped him develop into a talented playmaker.
His array of passes for four of Spurs’ six goals at the weekend demonstrated his ability, including some low through balls, one a pinged diagonal pass over the top, and his final one, which set up Yago Santiago for the game’s final goal, was a reverse ball that cut through four defenders like butter and left everyone open-mouthed, except the man for whom it was intended.
Speaking to football.london after the game in the first of many media interviews, Donley walked a tight line between being pleased to be on the route to his ambition and knowing how much work remains if he is to attain it.
Many young and older players have fallen by the wayside because they lack the ambition and determination to reach their full potential. That’s not Donley’s way.
“It’s been amazing [being a member of the first team], and I’m obviously a Tottenham fan, but I’ve got to keep pushing. I have not done anything yet. I want to play, and I want to start for the first team, so I have to keep my head down and work hard,” he stated.
“I believe that everyone involved, including the staff, has contributed to my success this season. Obviously, I’ve had to work hard, and my work rate is satisfactory. I’ve worked hard in training to develop habits that will hopefully make things simpler on the pitch. I believe that is my biggest concern. I’ve worked really hard on those routines this season, and it’s benefited me a lot coming into games.
So, as a 19-year-old Tottenham fan, how does it feel when the manager turns to you in the 89th minute at the Etihad Stadium with the score 3-3 and you’re about to face England’s champions, Manchester City, amid the noise and pressure of their fans clamouring for a late winner?
Donley confesses, with a chuckle, that he was anxious, especially going on in that game. I was afraid, but once it was over, I felt relieved. I simply did not want to concede while I was on the pitch. It was beneficial for me.”
That was the first of several instances in which Postecoglou brought on the youngster in tight situations late in games, and he’s clearly growing in confidence with each outing, contributing defensively and in getting the ball up the pitch while also picking up a tactical yellow card for a foul on Neal Maupay as the Brentford man threatened to break up the pitch in his last game.
“Hopefully [being brought on late] shows that he can trust me,” Donley said about Postecoglou. “It is amazing. It’s an excellent experience.”
Donley has enjoyed working with the Australian and his coaches on the training ground, even though Postecoglou is known for keeping his distance during sessions, watching from the sidelines and interjecting only when required.
“He speaks very well,” Donley explained. “He may not say much on the training pitch, but he claims to see everything, so I need to be there every day if I’m training over there. I need to make sure I don’t take any days for granted.”
The caliber of those surrounding the teenager when he’s with the first team ensures he won’t do so, and he paused for a second when asked which Tottenham player he observes the most during training sessions.
“I probably look more at someone like James Maddison because I’ve been playing in midfield a lot of this season,” he told reporters. “To be honest, I look up to all of them because they’re elite players and internationals, which is what I aspire to be. I look up to all of them because they are excellent players and professionals.
“A lot of them, especially the English ones, have taken me under their wing and offered me advise. “They’re all good guys who encourage me.”
However, it is a South Korean who has made a significant impression on Donley, with captain Son Heung-min providing him with frequent reinforcement and assistance.
“He is unbelievable. He’s a pleasure to have around the building. He’s constantly smiling. He is quite helpful to me. He assists me in training and tells me what he thinks. “He’s very good to me,” he explained. “If I’m in front of the goal, he makes sure I’m composed and calm, and he tells me to use an additional touch if the scenario warrants it. It’s small stuff, but they’re the kind of things that will undoubtedly benefit me.”
Donley has missed the last three Premier League matchday teams, despite Tottenham’s injury problem improving and Postecoglou’s bench being well loaded with senior internationals. Some academy players at the club have previously sulked, believing they were too excellent to be dropped to the development squad for matches.
Donley is tougher than most, and he has a solid plan in place to make sure Postecoglou does not forget about him.
“I’ve got to just keep going and if I’m back playing for the U21s because I’m not on the bench [for the first team] – and I want to play – I’ve got to be the best player every game and then hopefully he notices that or the coaching staff notice that,” he went on to say. “All I can do is do my best and be ready if they give me my chance.”
Donley was unquestionably the finest player on the pitch on Saturday, but 18-year-old striker Will Lankshear gave him a run for his money, scoring the fastest hat-trick at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 11 first-half minutes.
Donley contributed three assists on his goals. The first was fortuitous, a rare miss-hit volley that Lankshear turned into a goal. Five minutes later, Donley pinged a pinpoint diagonal ball over the top, and the huge striker controlled the ball well before rounding the keeper and firing a low shot that rolled past the covering defender and into the far corner. Donley then delivered a great through ball along the ground to the forward, who chipped a delightful effort over the onrushing goalie to complete his record-breaking triple.
It’s a combo that has paid off handsomely for Wayne Burnett’s U21s this season, at times resembling an academy version of Tottenham’s record-breaking Harry Kane and Son duo.
“We get on well off the pitch and when I’ve got space Will makes runs in behind and that’s good for me because I like to find passes,” Donley went on to say. “His finishing is really good so if I just give him the ball then he will score.”
Can Lankshear follow in his footsteps and join the first team in the future?
“Yes, absolutely. “He has a great attitude and is a great lad,” he remarked. “He simply keeps scoring goals and does exceptionally well. I was doing pretty well and got my shot, so he just needs to put his head down and work hard, and I believe he’s absolutely good enough to receive a chance.
Donley has played every position for Spurs, including midfield and attack, and when asked what his favorite position is, he chuckles.
“I might end up playing at centre-back, who knows!” he said with a giggle. “I enjoy playing in midfield because it allows me to be more involved and pass to players likeWilliam Lankshear. I prefer to play in midfield, but we will see.”
Donley’s next steps after this season are unclear. He is well regarded within the club, but he also faces stiff competition for his position. That includes both established first-team stars and young players who will join Spurs this summer.
Alfie Devine, also 19, has had a standout season on loan at Port Vale and now Plymouth Argyle, gaining valuable first-team experience in an attacking center midfield role. Spurs have also just spent roughly £8.5 million to beat Barcelona to one of Scandinavia’s best young talents, 18-year-old Swede Lucas Bergvall, who will join from Djurgarden on July 1.
Both youths play in the number eight position that Donley has excelled in this season, but they have done so at the first-team level. It’s possible that his following actions will include a loan move.
“I take each day as it comes,” he explained quietly. “I haven’t gotten far enough to know if the first team wants me or wants me to go out on loan. I’ll just take it day by day and continue to do my best.”
One thing is evident. Donley has the right attitude and the talent to be a star. Jamie Donley understands that Postecoglou may need to leave for a while to truly spread his wings.is constantly watching. In reality, that is precisely what he desires.
