‘Enquiry lodged’ - West Brom race to sign £1.5m-rated Premier League starlet with 10 assists this season

West Bromwich Albion have lodged an enquiry to sign Tottenham Hotspur hot prospect Jamie Donley on loan, Birmingham World understands.

The Baggies are still managerless as the hunt continues for Tony Mowbray’s successor, but that hasn’t stopped the club from beginning its summer transfer business well ahead of time. Albion turned to Spurs in January to loan in Will Lankshear for the second half of the campaign and now another of their forwards has caught the eye.

Donley, who has spent this season on loan at League One play-off qualifiers Leyton Orient, is a player West Brom have been keeping an eye on. The 20-year-old has impressed at Orient, scoring eight goals and making 10 assists in 39 League One matches this term.

It’s understood West Brom have contacted Spurs to get in there early, assessing Donley’s availability and whether the London club are willing to loan him out again. Orient will no doubt be interested in extending Donley’s spell at the club, but Spurs and the player himself may believe he’s worthy of playing at a higher level.

West Brom certainly think so, as they see Donley, who has more assists than anyone else in League One this term, as a player who could compete for a starting place in a new-look attack. It’s become apparent that there will be an extensive squad overhaul at The Hawthorns as several first-team players see their contracts expire and others are set to be sold to raise funds.

Winger Grady Diangana and attacking midfielder John Swift are both definitely departing as their deals expire on June 30, while academy product Tom Fellows has been linked with a £15 million transfer to the Premier League. Josh Maja and Daryl Dike are probably good enough to lead the line, but Albion will be wary of their poor injury records and may sign another striker for cover.

How could Spurs starlet Jamie Donley fit in at West Brom?

Donley is capable of leading the line but typically prefers to slot in just behind the striker, or as an inside forward. The Northern Ireland international has predominantly operated as a left inside forward for Orient, getting heavily involved in the build-up to attacks as well as providing a goalscoring output.

You’d think the transfer business would wait until a new head coach has been appointed but, as Mowbray brutally outlined in his final press conference, there’s very little cooperation between the recruitment team and the manager.

The transfer window doesn’t open until June 12, so West Brom should have a new boss by the time signings can be made. Mowbray’s successor probably won’t have much of a say in the transfer business anyway, however, with many of the key decisions falling to Ian Pearce, the director of football.

It awaits to be seen how successful Albion’s approach to Spurs was for Donley, but an update is expected to emerge in due course. For now, the interest is strong but the attacker remains fully focused on seeing out Orient’s campaign in the play-offs.

In other news, Mowbray is among the favourites to replace a Championship manager.