Tottenham: Alfie Devine turns heads at Plymouth Argyle, he is perfect for Ange Postecoglou
Tottenham midfielder Alfie Devine has earned yet more praise for his performances on loan in the Championship with Plymouth.
Having spent the first half of the season with Port Vale, the 19-year-old is now getting regular first-team action in the second tier with Argyle.
Devine is clearly not daunted, either, and he is taking everything on board in what will be music to the ears of Ange Postecoglou.
“Alfie’s performances have been very good, with and without the ball,” Argyle boss Ian Foster is quoted as saying by Plymouth Live [18 February].
“He has got a really good tactical brain, a really clear understanding of what we are asking him to do. He applies himself brilliantly.”
Alfie Devine’s best position for Tottenham?
Devine has shown his versatility across two loan stints this term, having started five games as a pure central midfielder and twice on the left.
As per WhoScored, it is in attacking midfield that he has been used most often across spells with Port Vale and Plymouth, starting 17 times in that position just off the forward.
It was in that position in the recent 2-2 draw with Coventry City that Devine registered an assist for Mickel Miller – his second already for Argyle.
As pointed out by Foster, who Devine knows well from the England Under-20s set-up, the youngster looks well suited to being a number 10.
“People will really start to understand his qualities, how he can receive the ball in between the lines on the half turn and be positive,” Foster said.
“He’s a lovely footballer. I have worked an awful lot with Alfie, so I know what he’s capable of and we are starting to see it now.”
Devine did not have his finest afternoon in last weekend’s 2-0 home loss to Leeds, but even in that game, his qualities were clear to see.
He attempted a couple of dribbles, which only Miller (five) could better among home players, and had 43 touches in a side clearly second best.
That is slightly above his average of 41 touches per 90 minutes in Plymouth colours [FBref].
Devine is also clearly not afraid to put himself about, as highlighted by the nine duels he was involved in against Leeds [Sofascore].
That is a tally only Mikel and Jordan Houghton (both 10) could better, with Devine showing he is happy to get stuck in despite his young age.
Tottenham could have a star in Alfie Devine
The Leeds match does not really encapsulate what the versatile midfielder is all about, though.
Instead, taking his five league outings for Plymouth to date into account, his average of a shot a game is bettered only by two others.
His 1.2 key passes per game, meanwhile, is something only Morgan Whittaker – one of the best players in the league – can top with 1.3.
For comparison, Timo Werner is averaging the same number of passes at Tottenham, while Brennan Johnson averages 1.1 [WhoScored].
This is why supporters are so excited about what the future holds, with Devine looking well-suited to Postecoglou’s style of play.
There is room for improvement in terms of Devine’s passing ability, as highlighted by his 73.4 pass completion percentage for Plymouth.
For context, only five other outfield players in the entire Plymouth squad have performed worse than that.
An attacking midfielder is expected to misplace passes, of course, given they are in the side to make something happen.
However, Devine gave away the ball eight times from just 28 attempted passes against Leeds, which is too high a figure.
Two assists across 410 minutes for his new loan club shows exactly what he is capable of, though – an average of an assist every two games.
Under a manager he knows well in Foster, Devine now needs to continue taking these lessons on board to improve on weaknesses.
If he manages that, it may well be that the highly regarded youngster can play a part as a squad member upon his return to Spurs this summer.
In other Tottenham news, a 100-per-cent ace was let down by an “awful moment in the loss to Wolves.
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