Bolton Wanderers should sign Spurs player - De Zerbi doesn't want him | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers should try to sign Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Jamie Donley this summer.

Bolton Wanderers are heading into the Championship for the first time since the 2018-19 season and there is still a fair bit of work to do in the transfer market.

Under the management of Steven Schumacher, with help from Sporting Director Fergal Harkin and Head of Recruitment Jimmy Dickinson, Bolton were able to transform their squad last summer.

14 new signings were made, followed by a further seven in the winter window, to eventually help Bolton end their longest stint outside of the top two divisions in English football.

Since defeating Stockport County by four goals to one at Wembley Stadium in the League One play-off final in May, Bolton have been one of the busier teams in the Championship with five new signings made.

Defenders Akin Famewo and Ben Davies have joined alongside Luca Stephenson, David Watson and Kyliane Dong, but more work is to be done with Schumacher suggesting the next priority for business will be in the attack.

Bolton lost several players from the final third that were on loan last season and are now light with Dong the only other winger side from Thierry Gale, with John McAtee and Sam Dalby as strikers.

Ruben Rodrigues remains as a ‘number ten’, alongside Joel Randall, who is expected to leave the club at some stage, and so, while wide men and strikers are required, attacking midfield depth is also needed – and that is a spot that they should seek to fill with the addition of Jamie Donley.

Bolton could be the place for Jamie Donley to settle in the Championship

Roberto De Zerbi is known for playing quite a fluid and possession-based style of football that would appear to suit the style of Donley as a creative midfielder, and one in which he thrived in under Richie Wellens at Leyton Orient in League One.

The former Brighton boss has also not been shy of using younger players and handing debuts out during his managerial career, as he did with Jack Hinshelwood at Brighton, for example, as well as integrating the likes of Bilal Nadir, Robinio Vaz and Darryl Bakola further into the first-team at Marseille.

However, it had been reported that De Zerbi is happy to let Donley leave this summer, with the Italian being granted some heavy spending at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and particularly in the middle of the park, with the big money signings of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali from West Ham United and Newcastle United respectively.

Any loan deal being sanctioned may yet have to be delayed, though, with other reports stating that Donley may well be included in Tottenham's upcoming pre-season tour to Australia and New Zealand. There is an awful lot of competition for places, though.

Fernandes and Tonali may not be direct competitors for the attacking midfield role but still contribute to pushing Donley further away from the first-team picture when the season gets closer, especially with the likes of James Maddison, Xavi Simons, Conor Gallagher, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall all capable of playing the 'number ten' role, albeit the latter reportedly keen on a move away.

Spurs have already let one of their younger midfielders now depart on a permanent basis after a few loan moves this summer with Preston North End signing Alfie Devine for a fee believed to be in the region of £6 million.

Donley spent the first half of last season on loan at Stoke City but struggled to get minutes and find form at The Potters, a club that has been in flux and somewhere most managers and players, including current Bolton boss Schumacher, have struggled to thrive at in recent years.

He then finished the campaign at Oxford United and did get much more time to showcase his ability but, again, in a tough circumstance as The U’s succumbed to relegation.

A landing spot from the start of the season whereby Donley will feature prominently and without an immediate relegation battle is required for the Northern Ireland international attacking midfielder – and Bolton could be the perfect place for him.

He was linked with Bolton in the winter, prior to his move down to Oxford, and the preferred 4-2-3-1 system of Schumacher would appear ideal for the 21-year-old.

Bolton could do with a player like Jamie Donley

In the 2024-25 season, Leyton Orient finished fifth and were eventually beaten by London rivals Charlton Athletic in the League One play-off final.

That O’s team was built on a squad that would soon be more or less disbanded, with several sales and loanees, including Spurs’ Jamie Donley.

Donley was superb for Orient throughout that campaign, going on to be named their Player of the Season – which was some achievement given Charlie Kelman had finished as League One’s top scorer up-front.

His quality and form had earned him a move to a Stoke side that would have anticipated a tilt at the top six and the play-off places in the Championship last season.

Stints with a disjointed Stoke and then a struggling Oxford side should not completely undermine the talent and ability that Donley showed just a couple of seasons ago and Bolton require depth in the attacking midfield position.

Ruben Rodrigues was excellent at the back end of last season, but he will not be able to play 46 games next season at the intensity that Schumacher will expect at a higher level.

Depth is required and Bolton may well now benefit from Donley’s individual underperformance meaning his reputation has dipped, opening the door for them to poach a player that they wouldn’t have dreamt of being able to sign 12 months ago and one they were unable to six months ago.