Spurs may regret loan agreement with Stoke City - West Brom were keen | OneFootball

Jamie Donley has struggled for game time at Stoke City since his loan move from Spurs this summer.

Jamie Donley has played just 40 minutes of Championship football at Stoke City since his loan switch from Spurs this summer, and the Premier League club may regret not choosing to send him to West Brom instead.

Stoke completed the double-signing of Spurs duo Ashley Phillips and Donley on loan this summer, as the Potters looked to revamp their squad ahead of this season.

Phillips spent the last campaign on loan with the Potters and would cement himself as an integral figure in Stoke's back line as the club narrowly avoided relegation on the final day.

He made 35 Championship appearances last season, playing the full 90 minutes in every game since Robins took charge in January.

Phillips impressed so much that the club decided to bring him back for another season, with Donley joining him.

The Northern Irishman spent last season on loan in League One with Leyton Orient, playing 39 times in the third tier as the London-based club reached the play-off final, eventually losing out to Charlton Athletic.

Donley scored eight times and grabbed ten assists from midfield, and would be awarded the club's Player of the Season award, attracting interest from the Championship in the process.

Jamie Donley has struggled to break into the first team fold at Stoke City under Mark Robins

After an outstanding season in his first senior campaign, Donley was primed for a move to the Championship this summer to continue his development, with both Stoke and West Brom taking a keen interest in the youngster.

Under the guidance of former Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason, the Baggies saw themselves heavily linked with a loan switch for Donley, with Mason touted to use his Spurs connections to bring him to The Hawthorns.

However, as it transpired, Donley joined the Potters on loan in an exciting move for Stoke fans, but he has yet to have the chance to make a significant impact.

Donley has made just two appearances in the second tier so far, accumulating just 40 minutes of football in the opening eight games of the season.

In Stoke's opening day victory over Derby County, Donley came on as a substitute and grabbed an assist for Sorba Thomas to seal a 3-1 win for the hosts, and that is about as much as fans have managed to see of him in the league at this stage.

Both Lewis Baker and Bae Jun-Ho have been preferred by manager Robins so far, in what is at best a perplexing situation to say the least.

Should Donley continue warming up the bench until January, a recall to Spurs is not out of the question, and West Brom should be on high alert over the situation.

Ryan Mason should use his Spurs connections to bring Jamie Donley to West Brom this January if the situation goes unchanged

Having missed out on Donley this summer, the Baggies haven't been negatively affected, as Isaac Price has made the number ten role his own this year at The Hawthorns, having scored three goals and grabbed one assist in eight outings thus far.

West Brom are not short of attacking options in the three positions behind the striker, boasting the likes of Price, Tammer Bany, Samuel Iling-Junior, Mikey Johnston, Karlan Grant and Jed Wallace.

Should Mason use his influence at Spurs to persuade Donley to join the club, he would not be guaranteed any more game time there, as he has been at Stoke, with Price in particular in the form of his life.

Nevertheless, the Baggies have looked a strong outfit this campaign up to this point, sitting fourth in the table, level on points with Stoke, and look like a good bet for a play-off place come the end of the season.

Donley would provide a different attacking option for West Brom should he join, and only strengthen their ambitions of a place in the top six, whilst weakening Stoke's.