{"id":50497,"date":"2026-07-22T10:27:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/22\/tottenhams-youngster-has-impressed-roberto-de-zerbi-and-given-him-a-great-chance\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T10:27:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:27:25","slug":"tottenhams-youngster-has-impressed-roberto-de-zerbi-and-given-him-a-great-chance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/22\/tottenhams-youngster-has-impressed-roberto-de-zerbi-and-given-him-a-great-chance\/","title":{"rendered":"Tottenham&#8217;s youngster has impressed Roberto De Zerbi and given him a great chance"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/22\/tottenhams-youngster-has-impressed-roberto-de-zerbi-and-given-him-a-great-chance\/#Jamie_Donley_on_the_brink_of_breakthrough_for_Tottenham\" >Jamie Donley on the brink of breakthrough for Tottenham<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/22\/tottenhams-youngster-has-impressed-roberto-de-zerbi-and-given-him-a-great-chance\/#Tottenhams_De_Zerbi_adopts_not-for-sale_stance_after_being_impressed_by_young_players_in_training\" >Tottenham&#8217;s De Zerbi adopts not-for-sale stance after being impressed by young players in training<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Tottenham&#8217;s midfield has been completely reshaped this summer.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>Sandro Tonali arrived from Newcastle United and Matheus Fernandes from West Ham United, two key investments in the middle of the park that instantly raised the bar for anyone wanting to break into Roberto De Zerbi&#8217;s engine room.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, one of the club&#8217;s brightest young players, Lukas Bergvall, is likely to leave, while Preston North End have signed Alfie Devine on a permanent contract.<\/p>\n<p>Between the incoming firepower and departing young talent, De Zerbi&#8217;s midfield structure suddenly looks more centered around top-level experience than youthful vigor.<\/p>\n<p>However, the manager has a reputation for linking the academy with senior football, and set a steady path for developing some incredible talent during his time at Brighton.<\/p>\n<p>Following the rise of Evan Ferguson and Jack Hinshelwood, Seagulls Under-21s coach Shannon Roos said: &#8220;Roberto is keen to promote from within and there are no age barriers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It takes a lot of courage and belief to have that outlook at the highest level, and the players are very encouraged to see their teammates step up.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And despite undergoing a recent overhaul of Tottenham&#8217;s midfield, De Zerbi doesn&#8217;t seem to have given up on his kids just yet.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"jamie-donley-on-verge-of-tottenham-breakthrough\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Jamie_Donley_on_the_brink_of_breakthrough_for_Tottenham\"><\/span>\n<p>                        Jamie Donley on the brink of breakthrough for Tottenham<br \/>\n               <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Alasdair Gold, who has been keeping a close eye on Spurs&#8217; academy for many years, reports that 21-year-old Jamie Donley caught the eye of De Zerbi in the early weeks of pre-season.<\/p>\n<section class=\"emaki-custom-block emaki-custom-pullquote\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"emaki-custom pullquote\" id=\"custom_block_13\">\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>\u201cJamie Donley has impressed Roberto de Zerbi so far in pre-season and understands he is very likely to join us on the tour to New Zealand and Australia.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>\u201cI can see why. Another player I\u2019ve followed over the years and interviewed over the years spent a lot of time on.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s got a lot of ability, a bit of left-foot flair. I can see why De Zerbi likes him, because he can be a No. 8, he can be a No. 10, and obviously De Zerbi himself was a former No. 10.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>\u201cHe was very creative and looked very fit and sharp in training.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Donley has been in Tottenham&#8217;s youth team since 2013, and made four appearances for the first team in the 2023-24 season, including making his Premier League debut as a substitute against Manchester City.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, he has gone on loan three times to Leyton Orient, Stoke City and Oxford United, but was unable to break into the starting XI, gaining senior experience in League One and the Championship.<\/p>\n<p>His most high-profile moment was probably in the FA Cup game against Orient against Manchester City, when a 50-yard speculation forced Stefan Ortega into his own goal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-container\">\n<table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" cellspacing=\"1\" style=\"\" align=\"\" summary=\"\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">\n<p>Who said that?<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">\n<p><strong>Why Jamie Donley is one of Tottenham&#8217;s brightest young players<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>Former Man City manager Josep Guardiola<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>&#8220;When you concede that goal, you just congratulate the player. I think it was Donley. He&#8217;s a great left-footed player.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>\u201cSpurs have loaned us one of their best young players and if he continues to do that he will be playing against[Premier League teams]every week.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>Tottenham academy journalist John Wenham<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>\u201cJamie was one of the few players who was on loan last season and seems to be continuing to train with the first team rather than the U21s or RDZ, but they seem to be evaluating him.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<p>A left-footed attacking midfielder who relies more on intelligence than pace, Donley switched internationals from England to Northern Ireland in 2025 and became a regular in the team.<\/p>\n<p>His strong pressing profile, which allows him to carry the ball into midfield, makes him extremely valuable to managers looking to create quick transitions, and Gold also praises his leadership and personality.<\/p>\n<p>It remains to be seen whether appearances on tours to New Zealand and Australia will lead to genuine first-team involvement.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                              \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"tottenham-roberto-de-zerbi-jamie-donley-training\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<p>                        <\/p>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tottenhams_De_Zerbi_adopts_not-for-sale_stance_after_being_impressed_by_young_players_in_training\"><\/span>\n<p>\t\t\tTottenham&#8217;s De Zerbi adopts not-for-sale stance after being impressed by young players in training<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">Italians apparently value him.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Competition is fierce, with the likes of Fernandes, Tonali, James Maddison, Xavi Simmons, Conor Gallagher and Rodrygo Bentancur vying for minutes in midfield.<\/p>\n<p>But with Bergvall&#8217;s future uncertain and De Zerbi clearly willing to turn to academy players, Donley has a golden opportunity to make his case.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tottenham&#8217;s midfield has been completely reshaped this summer. Sandro Tonali arrived from Newcastle United and Matheus Fernandes from West Ham United, two key investments in the middle of the park that instantly raised the bar for anyone wanting to break into Roberto De Zerbi&#8217;s engine room. At the same time, one of the club&#8217;s brightest [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2975,40,636,7813,5614,684,8998,8256],"class_list":["post-50497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-chance","tag-football","tag-great","tag-impressed","tag-roberto","tag-tottenhams","tag-youngster","tag-zerbi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}