In what will be seen within football circles as a huge coup for the Club, the Valiants have today confirmed that Alfie Devine has joined the Vale on loan from Premier League side, Tottenham Hotspur.
The 19-year-old started his youth career with Liverpool with a brief spell at Wigan Athletic before settling at Tottenham Hotspur in July 2020.
In January 2021, Alfie became the youngest ever player to have played for Tottenham in a senior game when he came on as a substitute in an FA Cup Third Round match against Marine, a match Spurs would go on to win 5-0 with the midfielder getting himself on the scoresheet on his professional debut.
After an impressive debut, Devine continued to catch the eye of the first-team set-up at Spurs and was awarded by being named in the squad for two premier league games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa.
Since his debut, Devine has featured for Spurs’ Under-18s, and Under-23s and has been a regular in their Under-19 and Under-21 UEFA Youth League Sides. In January 2023 he would make his second senior appearance once again in the Third Round of the FA Cup, this time against fellow League One side, Portsmouth.
Alfie has featured for England at Under-16, Under-19 and Under-20 level. He was part of the England team that won the UEFA 2022 Under-19 Championship in July last year and in May this year, the youngster featured for the Three Lions in the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup where he scored twice in the tournament.
On Alfie joining his squad Port Vale Manager Andy Crosby said:
“We are delighted to be welcoming Alfie to the club and we’re looking forward to seeing him develop on and off the pitch with us here at Vale Park.
“He’s an exciting young player who shows a maturity beyond his years on the pitch and that comes as a result of the elite environments he has already experienced with Tottenham and England.
“It’s testament to the progress the club is making on and off the pitch that top clubs are now trusting us with their best young talent, he will have the support of the staff and the players as we help him to grow. He will also have a part to play with our own younger players and is an example of what hard work and dedication to your career can help you achieve.”
Director of Football David Flitcroft said:
“Alfie has been on our radar for a long time due to our Head of Recruitment Tommy Johnson knowing him as a young prospect while he was developing at Wigan Athletic.
“We have closely monitored his progress and watched him perform at Tottenham and within the England set up to outstanding levels.
“He is one of our country’s brightest young talents. An outstanding player with an attacking mindset, he has the ability to create and score goals but also has a huge enthusiasm and desire to win the ball back.
“On top of Alfie strengthening the quality of our squad, we’re pleased to be adding him to our group of exciting loanees: Kofi Balmer, Josh Thomas, and Ollie Arblaster. We are proud as a club to be building a first-team environment that top clubs see as a place that will help in the growth and development of their top young prospects both as players and as people.
“We would sincerely like to thank Tottenham and especially Andy Scoulding who has been superb throughout this process in making this loan move happen.
“For us as a club to be entrusted in developing Alfie as a person and player is a huge testament to the continuing development of our club under Carol and Kevin’s stewardship, their values are cascading down from the first team to academy levels and it was a big part in an elite Premier League club choosing us as a home for Alfie to continue his development.
“I’m sure the Vale fans’ warm welcome and loud support will make Alfie’s time with us at Vale Park feel home from home.”
