Millwall ready to sign Tottenham gem Devine as medical underway for new transfer
Alfie Devine could be set to leave Tottenham this summer as Thomas Frank thins his squad.
Devine joined Spurs’ academy in July 2020, and has gone on to make two senior cup appearances for the Lilywhites before heading out on three separate loan deals.
The midfielder spent last season at Belgian side Westerlo alongside Luka Vuskovic, making 32 appearances and scoring six goals.
Jose Mourinho has high hopes for Devine and was very complimentary of the youngster during his tenure as Spurs manager, but now he could be set to join Millwall after the latest developments.
Millwall are looking to sign Devine on a permanent deal
Devine started in Tottenham’s pre-season friendly against Reading (19 July) as Frank wanted to assess the 20-year-old.
However, with Morgan Gibbs-White still a target for Spurs and Jamie Donley also returning from his loan spell at Leyton Orient, there is plenty of competition in attacking midfield at Spurs.
Therefore, Spurs may consider letting Devine leave, with Millwall looking to sign the former England youth player, as reported by journalist Daniel Marsh (24 July).
The Lions are hoping to bring the youngster as part of a double deal, with Tottenham academy graduate Massimo Luongo undergoing a medical with the Championship club.
Devine would be the third young player to depart from Spurs this week, as both Ashley Phillips and Alfie Dorrington went back out on loan to the same clubs they were at last season.
Tottenham must improve academy record
Much has been made of the development of young players at Spurs, but they are still far behind rival Premier League clubs in terms of promoting graduates from their academy.
Five of the league’s traditional ‘top six’ clubs gave over 10 per cent of playing time to homegrown players, the only exception being Tottenham [Optus].
Liverpool was at the top with 16.7 per cent, proving that it’s not just the lesser teams that afford minutes to develop talent, but rather that it’s more a matter of the setup at the club.
Mikey Moore is seemingly the likeliest to break through into the first team under Frank next season, alongside Brandon Austin, who is the North Londoners’ only senior academy graduate.
This is an area that Spurs must improve, and they will hope Frank’s ability to develop players will help them address this issue.
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