Tottenham Hotspur have announced the departure of Alfie Devine who has joined Preston North End on a permanent deal
Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the departure of midfielder Alfie Devine on a permanent deal. Spurs have announced that the 21-year-old has completed a move to Preston North End, seeing his time in north London officially come to an end.
Devine spent last season on loan at Preston, during which time he made 48 appearances for the Championship club across all competitions.
It was thanks to those appearances that Devine earned the Young Player of the Year award at Preston, and he has now completed a move to Deepdale on a permanent basis.
Preston had the option of signing Devine on a permanent transfer following the conclusion of his loan spell, with the Lilywhites now exercising that option and have officially signed the Spurs midfielder.
As reported by football.london earlier on Tuesday, Devine was set to undergo a medical to leave Tottenham on a permanent basis, with the green light given to the move with the midfielder having just 12 months remaining on his contract.
Devine scored eight goals during his loan spell at Preston and has now expressed his delight at making his move to Deepdale permanent, admitting that a departure from Spurs was often on his mind.
“From the end of last season going into the summer, it was always a priority in terms of where I wanted to be. It took its time, but I'm delighted it's gone through,” Devine told Preston’s club website.
“From the first minute I came here until my last minute of last season, I absolutely loved it. The fans, staff, players, everyone around the place made me feel so welcome.”
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Preston also confirmed that the move for Devine represents a club-record fee for the Championship outfit, with the midfielder putting pen to paper on a five-year deal.
Devine was managed by Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom, and the Lilywhites manager has outlined why he was keen to bring the now-former Tottenham star back to Deepdale.
“I’m really pleased to get it over the line,” Heckingbottom said.
“A lot of people have worked hard at it, and Alfie made no secret of the fact that he enjoyed his time here and wanted to play here.
“We think that it's good business, not only in the short term and helping us get results on the pitch, but it's also really good business for the football club as well.”