West Brom must hope for Spurs transfer U-Turn | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion are facing a potential setback in their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Jamie Donley

West Bromwich Albion are facing a potential setback in their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Jamie Donley, who could be an ideal fit under Ryan Mason if Tom Fellows departs.

The Northern Ireland international impressed during his season-long loan stint at League One outfit Leyton Orient, where he led the third-tier's assist chart with 10 and scored eight goals in the process.

Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie exclusively described to FLW the prospect of Donley moving to The Hawthorns, and that it would be "an absolutely brilliant signing", making note of his star performances at Orient.

Albion have reportedly already lodged an enquiry with Spurs regarding Donley's availability for another loan spell, having previously secured the services of Will Lankshear from them in January.

Spurs reluctance on Jamie Donley could give Ryan Mason an early headache

As per journalist Alasdair Gold, Spurs are currently unwilling to sanction another temporary departure for highly-rated Donley and have been apparently rejecting offers already.

The potential unavailability of Donley would represent an early challenge for newly-appointed West Brom head coach Ryan Mason - who took charge at the Black Country side on a three-year contract on June 2nd.

The 33-year-old former Spurs player and assistant coach is tasked with rebuilding a squad that has certainly undergone big changes following their somewhat stale ninth-place finish last season.

Mason's attacking options have been severely depleted by the departures of key creative players Grady Diangana and John Swift, both of whom left the club as free agents - although neither performed to their full ability last season.

Then, Tom Fellows is also expected to leave, hoping to secure a move to the Premier League - Everton remain confident of completing a £10m deal for the England U-21 international.

Fellows' potential departure would perhaps be the most damaging of them all given his outstanding Championship season, where he recorded 14 assists and four goals in 45 games - just like Donley, he led his league for assists (alongside Portsmouth's Josh Murphy).

Jamie Donley has the ability to thrive in the Championship for West Brom

Any frustration surrounding Tottenham's stance becomes more pronounced when considering Donley's suitability for West Brom's needs.

Donley can operate as an attacking midfielder, inside forward, or even as a false nine - possessing the technical ability and physicality required for Championship football.

His performances at Orient have demonstrated his readiness to play at a higher level - he created the most chances altogether in the league with 62 and recovered the ball 164 times - meaning he outperformed 98.4% of players for this stat.

Obviously, a potential £10m+ windfall from a prospective Fellows' departure would allow Mason to hopefully address multiple positions, but losing such a creative force without securing an adequate replacement would leave a massive void - Donley represents the ideal replacement.

With the transfer window well underway and Mason's first season in senior management approaching, West Brom may need to quickly turn to other targets if Spurs maintain their reluctance to loan out one of their most promising young talents in Donley.

The Baggies' hopes of mounting a successful promotion challenge could well depend on their ability to work around this potential transfer domino.