There have been a lot of talks with incomings at Hotspur Way, with Daniel Levy looking to sign some top players before going into the new season with new head coach Thomas Frank taking charge of the proceedings at N17, but a few outgoings are also a highlight, and one of them is Alfie Devine, given how he has been looked upon as one of the brightest academy talents at the club. But it looks like the time for a decision on his future is around the corner this summer, with a loan as well as a possible permanent exit option on the cards.
The 20-year-old midfielder spent the last season on loan at Belgian outfit Westerlo and has been attracting a lot of interest from clubs across Europe given his performances, and this comes despite the fact that the North Londoners initially wanted to send him out on another loan this season.
Alfie Devine and build up to a possible Tottenham exit this summer…
We saw how Thomas Frank left out the Lilywhites academy graduate of Tottenham’s travelling squad for their Asia tour as the chiefs at N17 looked to finalise a move for him, and while a loan transfer looked like the most likely option, Championship side Millwall wanted to drive a force to secure his signatures on a permanent transfer instead.
And Tottenham Hotspur are said to have placed a £6 million valuation on the midfielder, which in a sense is more of a fair value for him after his impressive stint in Belgium, where he scored six goals and had one assist to his name in 2024/25, but many have been left surprised by that low figure given his massive potential.
But according to the latest report by Football.London, Devine still remains one of five players that Tottenham are looking to loan this summer. But it also states that the interest in the midfielder is beyond England, with multiple Eredivisie sides also monitoring his situation, and this puts Tottenham in a delicate position. Cash in now and risk losing an academy graduate who has the potential to eventually bring in a much higher fee? Or Levy could also get creative and try to strike a deal which has a sell-on clause or buy-back option?
The fact that he featured in pre-season, as he played against Reading and Luton Town before the squad jetted off to Asia, and those early minutes show that Deviene is still valued highly internally, but maybe he is not seen as ready to contribute under Thomas Frank just yet.
With Maddison injured, can Tottenham use him more?
At the moment it looks like James Maddison will be ruled out for a long term after his ACL injury in the recent friendly against Newcastle United, and then Dejan Kulusevski is also sidelined for a while, and he has just taken up kicking the ball for the first time since March. So now suddenly there is this creative void in Thomas Frank’s midfield, and that could give Devine a short-term audition in the first team.
Given that the North Londoners are still exploring options in the market to bring in a new attacking midfielder, technically there is only Lucas Bergvall, who is a recognised creative spark that is available at the moment in the roster at Hotspur Way, and this ends up giving space to Thomas Frank to use someone like Devine in a rotation role (especially given that Devine has already featured in pre-season this summer and can end up giving a stopgap solution).
He and Bergvall could share responsibilities in the early stages of the season, and Frank can manage minutes and pressure between the two young players, and this way at least it would not be a baptism by fire for Devine, as he will get a more phased introduction to first-team football at Tottenham (which, let’s be honest, has been a long time coming for him).
Of course, if Tottenham do bring in someone in the role before the window closes, then Devine has to look out for a loan to get some minutes, but right now, the Lilywhites have an opening, and Devine (given what we have seen of him) has the tools to take advantage of it.
It is a delicate decision, but given how Levy is marketing Tottenham as a club to develop young players, it makes the most sense to give him a run in for the start of the season. It will not only create a huge asset and bump that selling price even if Tottenham are willing to sell, but more importantly, it will show all the young players that there is a pathway to the first team at Hotspur Way.
