Ange Postecoglou will be impressed after on-loan Tottenham midfielder Alfie Devine makes ‘excellent’ Championship debut
On-loan Tottenham midfielder Alfie Devine proved on his Plymouth Argyle debut that he has no problem making the step up to Championship football.
Devine spent the first half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan with EFL League One outfit Port Vale.
The midfielder made a strong impression at the club, as he scored three goals and provided three assists across 26 appearances in what was his first real experience of senior first-team football.
His most impressive contribution in a Port Vale shirt came in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup when he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win away at Mansfield Town (31 October) to send his temporary side to the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in their entire history.
Following such a successful first loan spell, Tottenham recalled Devine and have now sent him on loan to Championship side Plymouth Argyle for the remainder of the season (Spurs’ Official X, 17 January), where he will play alongside his Tottenham teammate Ashley Phillips, who is also on loan with the club.
This step up in quality will be a big test for the 19-year-old to see just how far he has come, and Devine passed that first part of the test with flying colours in his new club’s 3-1 home win against Cardiff City on Saturday 20 January, a win which both himself and Phillips started, with the latter completing the full 90 minutes.
It took Devine just over half an hour to prove that he would have no problem adapting to a higher level of football.
With the home side 1-0 down and chasing the game, Devine got his first assist in Plymouth colours as he set up Ryan Hardie’s equalising goal.
As well as his assist, Devine played three key passes and was successful with two of his three dribble attempts while he also won 100 per cent of his aerial duels during his 74 minutes on the pitch (Sofascore).
It was certainly not a bad Championship debut, and his new manager Ian Foster, who has previous experience managing Devine in the England youth ranks, spoke highly of the Tottenham man after the match.
“They’ve been excellent because they’ve only had two days,” Foster said (via Plymouth Argyle Official Website, 20 January).
“Alfie’s had two days with us, Adam’s (Forshaw) had one, [and they’ve taken in] an awful lot of information.”
Phillips’ performance wasn’t quite as impressive as Devine’s, although the defender was still able to win two ground duels and complete 86 per cent of his passes, with one of those being key.
By demonstarting that he can make the step up to the Championship so quickly, Devine has proven to Ange Postecoglou that after a bit of time in the division, he could be ready to step up for Tottenham when he returns to Hotspur Way next season.
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