Tottenham and Leyton Orient will both hope Richie Wellens can solve puzzle ASAP | OneFootball

Tottenham loanee Jamie Donley has struggled for form so far at Leyton Orient

Tottenham Hotspur loanee Jamie Donley has struggled for both game-time and form at Leyton Orient so far this season.

Donley was a surprising omission from Tuesday night's matchday squad against Rotherham United.

So far, Donley had come to East London with a great deal of excitement, with MSN referring to him as 'The closest thing to James Maddison.' - however so far he has failed to live up to the expectations surrounding him.

Donley has thus far failed to make the instant impact most thought he would with the O's, leaving many to question his role in the squad so early into the season.

Donley struggling for consistency in East London

Having been compared to England's record goalscorer Harry Kane as recently as November 2023, Donley was highly touted and expectations were high when he made the loan move to E10 in August. Prior to the move he had featured heavily in Tottenham's pre-season, being taken on their tour to Asia and even made substitute appearances in a pair of games against European giants Bayern Munich.

Donley came straight into the Orient side during a tough start to the season, starting in losing efforts against Birmingham, Charlton and Shrewsbury.

Donley was then dropped following the September international breaks, with a pair of unused substitute appearances sandwiching an added time substitution against Stockport and a start against Brentford in the Carabao Cup.

Since then, he worked his way back into the starting XI but has been in and out of the side without nailing down a consistent place, and was most recently left out of the squad on Tuesday night.

Donley simply hasn't provided anything of note to give manager Richie Wellens the confidence to give him more opportunities, especially when Orient are struggling as it is - having created the fewest amount of chances this season as per Fotmob.

Tottenham could look to recall Donley in January

Donley's move to East London shocked many, as he had been linked with many higher profile clubs such as Birmingham City, Luton Town, and Oxford United.

Tottenham will be keeping a close eye on Donley's development as they clearly see him as a prospect important for the future, and will no doubt be disappointed at the lack of impact he has made so far.

With the January window fast approaching, it may be the case of Donley not quite being ready for League One football, and Spurs could look to move him on to a different side in order to have him playing football on a more regular basis.

However, Orient don't have the biggest squad as it is and the higher-ups will not want to lose such a highly touted loan halfway through the season, forcing the club to go out and look for a replacement.

Realistically there is plenty of time for Donley to turn things around and get back into the team, and this will be seen as a much-needed challenge from both Tottenham and Orient as both will want to see him progress urgently.