Alfie Devine: Port Vale sign Tottenham Hotspur defender on loan
- Published
Alfie Devine scored for England against Uruguay in Buenos Aires in this summer's Under-20 World Cup
Port Vale have signed Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alfie Devine on a season-long loan.
The England Under-20 international, 19, becomes Vale's 11th signing of the summer transfer window - and third on loan from a Premier League club.
"He's an exciting young player who shows a maturity beyond his years on the pitch," said Vale boss Andy Crosby.
"That comes as a result of the elite environments he has already experienced with Tottenham and England."
Devine becomes the third player to arrive in Burslem on a season-long loan from the top flight, following defender Kofi Balmer (Crystal Palace) and midfielder Oliver Arblaster (Sheffield United).
"It's testament to the progress the club is making on and off the pitch that top clubs are now trusting us with their best young talent," added Crosby.
Vale also made eight other signings this summer, goalkeepers Connor Ripley and Jayson Leutwiler, defenders Mitch Clark and Alex Iacovitti and Jason Lowe - and midfielders Ethan Chislett, Conor Grant and Tom Sang.
After being thrashed 7-0 at Barnsley on the opening day of the season, Vale have since settled down to pick up seven points out of a possible nine from their next three games, as well as reaching the second round of the EFL Cup to book next Tuesday night's home derby tie against Crewe.
Devine, who began his youth career with Liverpool, is the son of a former rugby league player, Sean Devine, who played for St Helens.
In January 2021, he made history when he became the youngest-ever Spurs player at 16 years and 163 days, coming on as a substitute to score on Merseyside in their 5-0 FA Cup third round win at Marine.
He has made one further Spurs appearance, also in the FA Cup third round in the 1-0 win over Portsmouth, in January 2023 - and he played for England in this summer's Under-20 World Cup.
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