Oxford United plot move for versatile Tottenham player | OneFootball

Jamie Donley is on the U's transfer radar, with the club needing to strengthen their attacking area.

Oxford United are among the clubs to have taken an interest in Tottenham Hotspur attacker Jamie Donley, according to Give Me Sport.

The U's have already made a decent number of signings during the early stages of the summer, as they look to remain afloat in the Championship for more than one season.

Addressing several areas, with last season's loanee Jamie Cumming the latest player to secure a move to the Kassam Stadium, they will be hoping to make some more signings before the season starts to be as strong as possible for their clash against Norwich City on the opening day.

There's certainly work to be done in the final third, with play-off final hero Josh Murphy leaving the club on the expiration of his contract and the likes of Billy Bodin and Marcus Browne also departing.

The likes of Mark Harris and Owen Dale may be at their disposal, but the former endured a fairly mixed season at the Kassam Stadium and he will need some support to fire Oxford to safety next term.

Thankfully for the U's, set-piece specialist Cameron Brannagan and the likes of Tyler Goodrham and Ruben Rodrigues can also contribute, although it will be a big ask for the latter to make the step up to the second tier, having played non-league football not too long ago.

Des Buckingham's side have already been linked with Ipswich Town's Ali Al-Hamadi, but more than one signing will need to be made in the attacking department if they want to retain their second-tier status for the long term.

Thankfully for them, they can still spend fees despite being sanctioned and there's plenty of time left before the season starts, which should allow them to bring in plenty of attackers before the opening day.

Oxford United eyeing Jamie Donley move

Donley has been a prolific attacker in Tottenham's academy in recent years, and has also appeared for the first team.

However, his contributions for the U21 team have been most notable, registering eight goals and 17 assists in 23 appearances last term.

Able to operate as a striker and an attacking midfielder, the versatile 19-year-old has become an attractive player for Oxford, according to Give Me Sport.

Spurs are potentially prepared to let him go out on loan this summer, but they are keen for the player to join a side that is likely to give him plenty of game time.

Highly rated by officials at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham will be keen to closely monitor his development if he does make a temporary exit from the North London club.

Oxford United could benefit from having Jamie Donley at their disposal

It will be interesting to see how Buckingham sets up his team next term.

The 4-1-4-1 system paid dividends during the latter stages of the 2023/24 campaign, but it's unclear whether the U's are prepared to be that brave next term.

Oxford will probably need to play Donley regularly if they are to win the race for his signature, so they may need to switch system and play a 4-2-3-1 to give him the protection of two defensive midfielders.

Brannagan and Will Vaulks could start behind Donley, which could give the latter more of a license to push up and support Harris, who will need adequate service to be effective next term.