Alfie Devine arrival marks major forward step for Preston North End - and only adds summer transfer incentive

The Lilywhites have paid £6million to sign the midfielder from Tottenham Hotspur

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Delight, amazement, curiosity... Preston North End's permanent signing of Alfie Devine sparked all kinds of emotions this week.

Of course, the overwhelming one was joy. Shock wasn't that far behind, though, because if we are honest this just does not happen. You could forgive anyone who never expected to see Devine in the white and blue of Preston once again.

Maybe loan players can fill your heart instead of break it, after all. Watching him play in the number seven shirt should be a genuinely brilliant thing; someone with undoubted class, a good head on his shoulders and scope to get better and better.

In this day and age the transfer fee isn't remotely excessive but by Preston's standards it is staggering. With that, expectation on Devine will rise, though he doesn't strike you as someone who will be affected - and the Deepdale faithful will surely back him to the hilt.

In manager Paul Heckingbottom - who believes in him greatly - he has a great mentor. The goal for all involved is to now make Devine one of the best midfielders in the Championship. That ceiling is not too high.

PNE’s boss was pleading for the club to push the boat out with a transfer, in order to give them any chance of player trading. He will now feel backed, and responsible for taking Devine to the next level. Heckingbottom will be confident in doing so.

Devine knows he will be given the platform to perform, week-in week-out. Which, perhaps, was at the forefront of his mind all along: go and be the star at a place I’m adored. We also learned just how important home, family and friends were to the 21-year-old.

Nowadays, it is utterly refreshing to see a player follow their heart in those respects. Devine will be paid handsomely at Preston but he almost certainly could've earned more money elsewhere. To not run towards that is admirable.

It's not only that which makes the move a surprise. Some of the biggest clubs in the Championship - who will be favourites to go up - were linked with Devine. There was strongly reported interest from Celtic: a mammoth football club.

Nobody knows how long Devine will be around but his return is quite surreal and ought to be celebrated. Now, the task will be to achieve success with him at the heart of it, or generate a sizable sale in the future.

As positive as the news is, there is still plenty of work for PNE to do. The midfielder is only the second addition of the summer, after the arrival of back-up goalkeeper Lee Nicholls. That in itself makes Devine’s choice even more interesting. Has he been informed of plans for the rest of the transfer window?

So often last season, it was him and Dobbin - a combination which would require a miracle to recreate for the 2026/27 campaign. Therefore, attacking reinforcements are a must; no doubt they are being eagerly chased as we speak.

Bringing Devine back to the club is a huge forward step and could, in time, be looked back on as a moment of great significance. For now, though, there's even more incentive to go and finish the recruitment job off, to give him - and Preston - the best chance of flourishing.