Preston North End have signed Alfie Devine from Tottenham in a deal worth around £6million
Alfie Devine has posted an emotional goodbye message on social media after his exit from Tottenham Hotspur was confirmed.
The 21-year-old has joined Preston North End in a permanent deal after the midfielder enjoyed a successful loan spell with the Championship side last season. As part of that loan deal, Preston agreed an option with Tottenham to buy the England U20 star in a deal worth around £6million.
That figure is more than twice their transfer record but the youngster impressed so much that the Lancashire club, who finished 14th in the Championship last season, were said by the local Preston media to have triggered the option with payments in instalments.
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Devine's exit from Spurs was confirmed on Tuesday and the midfielder, who had just 12 months left on his contract at the Lilywhites, has taken to social media to post a goodbye message.
The player wrote: "My time at this club has come to an end after 6 years of memories, experience and learning. Huge thanks to everyone involved with my time here and something I’ll cherish forever, thank you."
Devine is Tottenham's youngest ever goalscorer after his FA Cup strike in 2021 as a 16-year-old against Marine, but two appearances in that competition are the only occasions in which he has pulled on a Spurs shirt in senior competitive matches.
He will now ply his trade in the Championship with Preston, where he contributed eight goals and eight assists in 48 appearances last season. When asked what he wants to achieve at Preston upon completing the move, he said: "Big things.
“I think that's one of the things that I want as a player and I'm sure everyone wants as a player. You want to go on, win things, get promotion and I think that this is a perfect club to go and do that.
“That's why I decided to come back. I feel like there's a real good feeling about the place. We showed last year what we're capable of doing and that's one of the reasons why I've come back here, because I feel like we can hopefully do that all the way throughout the season and achieve something good.”