Wigan Today

Wigan Athletic are in line for a sizeable cash boost after academy product Alfie Devine joined Preston North End from Tottenham Hotspur in a multi-million pound deal.

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The 21-year-old midfielder, who hails from Warrington, is understood to have cost Preston a club-record fee in the region of £6million.

It follows a successful loan spell last season, when he scored eight goals in 48 appearances for the Lilywhites.

Devine came through the ranks at Wigan but was sold to Spurs in the summer of 2020 - at the age of 15 - shortly after Latics were placed into administration by the owners at the time.

Latics received a fee of around £300,000, and inserted a sell-on clause of around five per cent of any profit Spurs would receive in the future.

That figure is below the sell-on figures Latics have inserted in deals before and after this time, which has seen them receive several hundreds of thousands of pounds - most notably in the sale of Dan Burn to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2018.

However, transfer negotiations at the time were handled by the administrators and 'football experts' they drafted in, which explains the reduced figure.

This was despite Jonathan Jackson – the club’s chief executive at the time, before he was made redundant – offering to conduct negotiations for free to help the club.

Nevertheless, with Spurs making a profit of around £5.7million, Latics should be in line to receive a sum in the region of £285,000.

Ironically, Devine's purchase eclipses the sum Preston paid Portsmouth for Callum Lang - another Latics academy product - in January of this year.

Latics also received a tidy sell-on from that deal, following his move to the south coast exactly two years earlier.

After putting pen to paper, Devine said: “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.

“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.”

Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom said: “I’m really pleased to get it over the line.

“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.”

North End CEO Peter Ridsdale said: “I would like to go on record to thank the Hemmings' family for the unbelievable financial commitment in allowing us to get this deal over the line, in addition to the investment in the new hybrid Deso pitch at Deepdale.

"I would also like to thank Tottenham Hotspur for the way in which they have handled this transfer. It has been a pleasure working with everyone connected with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club."

Former Wigan Athletic and England defender Steven Caulker has announced his retirement from the game at the age of 33.

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Caulker, who played for Team GB at the London Olympics of 2012, joined Latics on a short-term deal in January 2023.

He moved on at the end of that contract in the summer after Latics were relegated to League One.

“It’s time to announce my official retirement from my playing career. Seventeen seasons, 17 teams and five different countries," he wrote on LinkedIn.

“I had a good taste of Premier League football, played and scored for England, captained Sierra Leone, played in the Olympics, spent time as a player-coach, and met some incredible people along the way.

“Along with the highs, there have been some serious lows. It’s been a rollercoaster, to say the least. Today, I am very grateful for having experienced both sides of the coin, as it has helped me grow as a person. “I would like to take this moment to thank everybody who has supported me along the way: family, friends, coaches and fans.

"I look forward to now focusing full-time on my coaching and using all my experiences to help guide the next generation. Let’s see what 2026 has in store.”

Caulker came through the ranks at Spurs, and had loan spells at Yeovil Town, Bristol City and Swansea City before joining Premier League new-boys Cardiff City under Malky Mackay in the summer of 2013 for £8million.

He played every single minute of the 2013/14 campaign, but was unable to prevent the Bluebirds from being relegated to the Championship, and moved on to Queens Park Rangers.

After loan spells with Southampton and Liverpool, Caulker joined Dundee on a permanent basis in 2018.

However, his stay in Scotland lasted only one season, before a series of foreign moves.

He played for Alanyaspor, Fenerbahce, Gaziantep and Fatih Karagumruk in Turkey before moving back to the UK to join Latics.

His time at Wigan was tortuous, with the players repeatedly being paid late by former owners Phoenix 2021 Limited.

He said at the time: “The lies us as players have been told by Wigan is absolutely scandalous. There may be reason for late payment once or twice, but for the boys to have experienced this five times this season is completely unacceptable.

“Since I arrived at this club, I have seen the players and backroom staff work tirelessly to try to keep this club in the Championship. It’s really painful to now see that task become harder and harder each day.

"As the famous saying goes ‘Being silent while witnessing an injustice makes you guilty of the oppression as well’. Well my position is clear, I stand with the honest hard-working staff and players, whose mental health is now being affected by this.”

After leaving Wigan, Caulker had further foreign spells with Malaga City (Spain), Ankara Keciorengucu (Turkey) and Stjarnan (Iceland).

He scored on his only senior England appearance, in a friendly against Sweden in 2012 under Roy Hodgson, before switching allegiance to Sierra Leone, for whom he won 18 caps.

Former Wigan Athletic youngster Alfie Devine has signed a new contract with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, and made a season-long loan move to Championship side Preston North End for the 2025/26 campaign.

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The 21-year-old attacking midfielder linked up with Spurs’ academy programme from Latics in 2020, and went on to become Tottenham’s youngest first-team goal-scorer after netting on his debut against Marine in the FA Cup in January 2021.

After loan spells in League One with Port Vale and Plymouth Argyle during the 2023/24 campaign, he spent last season on loan in the Belgian Pro League with Westerlo, scoring six goals in 32 appearances. He will now spend the current campaign in the Championship with North End.

“I’m buzzing,” Devine said on joining Preston. “When this opportunity came about, I was excited when I first heard about it. I’m happy to be here and happy to get it done. I can’t wait to get going.

“I like to make people excited. I like to get on the ball. I like to always be involved in it and get people off their seats.”

On the international stage, Devine was part of the England side that won the European Under-19 Championships in 2022.

Devine, whose dad Sean played professional rugby league for St Helens and Oldham in the 1980s and 1990s, will bolster Preston’s attacking options, according to North End manager Paul Heckingbottom.

"Alfie’s a talented player who can play in a number of positions,” said Heckingbottom. “He can play as an attacking midfielder, he can play deep, and he’s played box-to-box, so he’s got that flexibility, which is great for us.

“I really liked his loan move in Belgium last year, where he showed really good energy and appetite off the ball, which is what we demand. He showed his technique and quality in the final third to get goals and help assist others as well.”

In Preston’s press release of Devine’s announcement, the club say he has joined on a season-long loan, with an option to buy included in the deal. Devine will wear the number 21 shirt during his time at Deepdale.