"A fantastic signing" - Claim made as Birmingham City look to seal Spurs transfer | OneFootball

The Blues are said to be facing Championship competition for the Tottenham Hotspur man this summer

Highlights

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Birmingham City are said to be one of a number of EFL clubs monitoring the progress of Tottenham Hotspur youngster Jamie Donley this summer.

The Blues are said to be fighting the likes of Oxford Unitedfor his signature this summer, as well as recently relegated Luton Town, upon their return to the second tier.

The 19-year-old made three brief appearances for the Premier League outfit in the previous campaign, and looks set to head out on loan for the following season to gain experience in the professional game.

The Midlands outfit could hold a key advantage in the fact that the midfielder will be well known to City boss Chris Davies - given the 39-year-old’s former position at the club - although they will have a task on their hands to make him theirs this summer.

Oxford United, Luton Town and Birmingham City all looking to capture Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie Donley

Donley is a player who has caught they eye while with Spurs’ academy, having had a major influence on the youth side winning the PL2 championship in the 23/24 campaign.

The midfielder chipped in with five goals from the middle of the park during his time with the youth team, as well as setting up a further ten goals for his teammates, as he provided a creative outlet as his team pushed forward.

That playmaking ability would be a welcome addition into the City ranks this summer, with Davies looking to reinvigorate a squad that suffered relegation from the Championship in May.

With reports of Juninho Bacuna potentially leaving the club in the coming weeks, the Midlands outfit will need replacements in that area of the park, and Football League World Blues' fan pundit Mike Gibbs thinks it would be a great deal to get over the line this summer.

Gibbs said: “I think Donley would be a fantastic signing. Obviously, he worked previously with Chris Davies at Spurs, and Chris Davies is going to know him well, and know what he can bring.

“From what I’ve read about him and some of the clips I’ve watched, he seems a very, very competent footballer, and I think there will be plenty of movement in terms of players going out from those attacking positions, so I think having someone we can bring in to complement the team makes a ton of sense.

“It’s a loan deal as well. We haven’t brought in any loan deals so far, and I always think it’s good to have a mix of loan players and permanent signings.

“You don’t want to go too far with the loans rather than permanent signings, because it gives you a problem at the end of the season, but at the same time, using loan players for the last couple of spots in your team gives you a bit of flexibility the following summer.

“So I think it will be a great signing, I’d like to think we can absolutely compete with Oxford, I think the challenge is Luton, think they’ll be playing at the top end of the Championship so if you’re a player in the Premier League and a top Championship side comes knocking, you would take that over League One would be my view.”

Jamie Donley deal can add to impressive Birmingham City transfer business ahead of League One campaign

City have been flexing their muscles in the transfer market ahead of their upcoming League One campaign, with Davies adding a wealth of experience and quality to his squad ahead of the season-opener next month.

Goalkeeping pair Ryan Allsop and Bailey Peacock-Farrell will make sure the battle to be number one rumbles on throughout the campaign, while the new Blues boss has also addressed issues at the other end of the pitch.

The arrival of 23/24 League One top scorer Alfie May [pictured] from Charlton Athletic will make sure City have a potent threat in and around the penalty area for the next campaign, with the former Addicks man netting 23 goals in the previous campaign.

Emil Hansson is the latest player to join the revolution at St Andrew’s, with the Swedish winger joining from Dutch side Heracles, as Davies looks to Donley to help build a squad capable of bouncing back to the Championship at the first attempt.