Alfie Devine is part of a growing pack of young players vying for a place at Tottenham.
Devine spent last season on loan at Belgian side Westerlo alongside Luka Vušković, where he had a solid season, scoring six goals from attacking midfield.
The 20-year-old will now return to Spurs to stake his claim for a place in Thoms Frank’s first-team squad, but will have his work cut out as Tottenham are brimming with academy players in the same boat.
As such, plenty of departures are expected in North London this summer, both permanent and on loan, as Frank shapes his squad for the 2025/26 season.
Archie Baptiste signs for Middlesbrough after leaving Spurs
In stark contrast to Tottenham’s senior squad, the academy has seen plenty of movement, most recently with Max McFadden being picked up by Spurs after leaving Leeds.
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There have also been several outgoings, including Damola Ajayi joining Doncaster Rovers on loan, as well as the release of a handful of young players last month.
One of them was Archie Baptiste, who represented the Spurs Under-18s over 50 times but struggled to make the transition to Premier League 2, making only two substitute appearances last season.
The 19-year-old has already found a new home and was quickly snapped up by Middlesbrough, prompting him to post on Instagram (4 July) with the caption, “Buzzing to have signed for this club let’s get to work”.
Devine commented on the defender’s post with a ‘clapping hands’ emoji to congratulate his former teammate.
Devine will have work cut out to secure a place in the first team
As with any squad, Tottenham have varying depth in different positions, but attacking midfield is one where there is a lot of competition among the younger contingent.
Devine will be in direct competition with Jamie Donley, who will return to Hotspur Way on the back of an excellent loan spell with Leyton Orient in which he registered 19 direct goal contributions.
Another talent emerging from the ranks is Luca Williams-Barnett, who has just signed a new contract with Spurs and has already trained with the first team on numerous occasions, despite being only 16.
With James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski already in situ, Devine will have to go a long way in impressing Frank this summer to stand a chance of being in his long-term plans.