Alfie Devine: Plymouth Argyle sign Tottenham youngster on loan & wing-back Sorinola

Alfie Devine has impressed in his time on loan at Port Vale this season

Plymouth Argyle have signed Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alfie Devine on loan until the end of the season.

The 19-year-old spent the first half of the campaign at Port Vale where he scored three goals in 26 appearances.

Devine has previously spent time in the academies at Liverpool and Wigan.

He was part of the England Under-20 side managed by new Argyle head coach Ian Foster, and is the second Spurs youngster to move to Home Park on loan after defender Ashley Phillips.

Argyle have also completed the permanent signing of former MK Dons and Swansea wing-back Matthew Sorinola, 22, who joins as a free agent after being released by Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise.

All three of Argyle's January loan signings are former England youth players who have worked under Foster, with Leeds United midfielder Darko Gyabi having been another member of last summer's victorious Under-20 World Cup squad.

Devine's only first-team experiences with Spurs have come in the FA Cup. He scored on his debut as a substitute in the 5-0 win over non-league Marine in the third round in 2021 and came off the bench in the win over Portsmouth at the same stage last year.

"I've known Alfie since his Wigan days, when I was working for the FA," Foster told the club website.

"We had a lot of players coming through the pathway at Wigan. When selecting Alfie for England teams, he played a year up, which shows you the level of confidence I have in him, in terms of his ability and his character."

That knowledge of Devine made signing him a "no-brainer" according to Foster.

"I know how talented he is, I know how hard working he is, and it gives me a little bit of a head start because he knows the role and he knows exactly what I'll be asking him to do. Regardless of the shape, he understands the principles of play.

"He's a really versatile attacking midfield player and he can also play in that deeper role - he can handle the ball in tight areas under pressure.

"He's someone that can cover a lot of positions for us, which is a great thing to have."

Foster also hailed the capture of Sorinola, who played 43 times for MK Dons in League One before moving to Belgium in 2021. However his 16 appearances all came from the bench and he spent 31 games on loan at Swansea in the Championship last season.

"We are very pleased to pick up Matthew as a free agent," Foster added. "He is a really good age, he's got great experience of English football, and he has had a taste of football on the continent as well.

"He's got versatility as a wing-back. He's athletic and has good technical ability. He is someone that we feel we can develop and hopefully he can help us go on to the next level."

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