Northern Ireland star been top target 'for long time' after making League One move from Tottenham Hotspur
Luton Town manager Jack Wilshere has revealed Northern Ireland star Jamie Donley has been top of his transfer target list “for a long time” and is backing the Tottenham Hotspur ace to make a huge impact during his season-long loan move in League One.
Donley featured for big-spending Spurs in pre-season friendlies against MK Dons, Auckland, Sydney, Chelsea and Hoffenheim after catching the eye of manager Roberto De Zerbi, but will now head out on loan to continue his development.
The 21-year-old is set to link up with international team-mate Callum Marshall at Kenilworth Road and work under ex-Arsenal star Wilshere.
Donley enjoyed tremendous personal success in his last loan move in League One – he scored eight goals and provided 10 assists for Leyton Orient during the 2024/25 season.
Wilshere is delighted to have landed one of his main summer targets and believes Donley can make a crucial difference as Luton look to build on last season’s seventh-placed finish.
“Jamie's a quality player and someone who we have kept our eye on since January,” he told the club’s website. “He went to the Championship with Oxford, but we’ve maintained a relationship with him.
“One thing we've done really well in this window is that we’ve had targets we wanted to go after.
"We knew the positions we wanted to improve or add depth in, and Jamie’s definitely been top of that list for a long time, so to get it done feels like a really important signing.
“He’s a player that can make the difference in the final third, and he also gives us something different in the centre of midfield, being left-footed.
“I kept saying that we weren't done with our business, but we had to wait for the right opportunity.
"Players sometimes come up a little bit later in the window, especially those like Jamie, who was really close to the first team at Tottenham all pre-season, and then gets told late on that he can go out.
“It was always in the plans to strengthen in that area and we’re delighted to get this one over the line.”
Donley spent time in the Championship with Stoke City and Oxford United last season, making 17 league appearances across both spells.
He has developed into an important player for Northern Ireland since pledging his international allegiance to the nation in March 2025.
The Antrim-born forward has scored twice in 10 senior appearances for Michael O’Neill’s side and been the preferred striker in recent months, starting in a World Cup play-off semi-final defeat to Italy in March.
Donley – just like Marshall – highlighted the role Wilshere played in deciding to join Luton.
“I’m over the moon,” said Donley. “It's taken a while, but I'm delighted to get it done and excited to see what I can do this season.
“When the manager called me, he spoke very highly of me, about what he wants to do this season and the way they play football. The way he spoke of me and how he sees me as a player really excited me.
“That's all you want to hear as a player, and hopefully I can take on that advice and show him that what he believes in me, I can do.”