Tottenham youngster Jamie Donley appears to be building a strong rapport with Roberto De Zerbi after impressing the Italian during pre‑season training.Roberto De Zerbi has finally begun pre-season preparations, with Tottenham Hotspur‘s first game coming against MK Dons.It was a match that saw Tottenham secure a victory after Mateus Fernandes let fly from outside the box, with his effort finding the top corner.While the new signing certainly announced himself to the Spurs faithful in style and will have left De Zerbi pleased, the Tottenham boss will also have had his eyes on several other players who were on display.Photo by Lampson Yip/Lampson Yip/Clicks ImagesJamie Donley and De Zerbi appear to be building early rapportAgainst MK Dons, De Zerbi fielded a balanced side that had a good mix of senior and academy players.Also involved in the friendly were players who had spent last season out on loan and had only recently returned to Tottenham training. Several of those players have had the chance to impress De Zerbi, and one reported to have done so was Jamie Donley.Donley, 21, was loaned out last season to Championship side Stoke City but struggled to make an impact, managing just 17 league appearances in which he scored one goal and registered two assists.He was recalled and later loaned to Oxford United but still did not make any noteworthy impact.After reportedly impressing De Zerbi in training, the 21-year-old took to his Instagram story to post a picture of himself shaking hands with the Spurs boss, accompanied by white heart emojis.Jamie Donley on Instagram. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/DAsyKBl7yk— The Spurs Express (@TheSpursExpress) July 22, 2026Donley earns spot in Spurs’ travelling squadDonley‘s impressive displays have now earned him a place in Tottenham’s 35-man squad set to travel to New Zealand and Australia.The midfielder will now be hoping to give a good account of himself over the remaining pre-season fixtures in a bid to force his way into the manager’s plans.His performance against MK Dons, where he featured for 45 minutes, is surely another positive sign, with Donley receiving a 6.5 FotMob rating after recording:StatisticTotalAccurate passes44/45 (98%)Touches49Passes into final third2READ MORE: Roberto De Zerbi has chosen his next Tottenham Hotspur captain, insider revealsThe post Jamie Donley’s latest Instagram confirms surprise De Zerbi bond at Tottenham appeared first on Spurs Web.