Spurs sign U18 midfielder Alfie Devine from Wigan

Tottenham Hotspur’s youth teams are back in training this week at Hotspur Way ahead of the new season, and with a new signing for the under-18 team: 15 year old midfielder Alfie Devine, who joins the club from Wigan Athletic.

The midfielder was part of Wigan’s U18 team that went to the FA Youth Cup quarterfinals, a run that saw Wigan beat Spurs in the fourth round. Devine has also played for England’s under-16 side, and was previously part of the Liverpool academy. Devine featured for the under-23 team and trained with the first team, and signed a long-term deal with the club last month, weeks before Wigan went into administration.

Spurs U18 coach Matt Taylor spoke to Spurs’ website about Devine, and his upcoming task as a player for the U18 team:

Alfie comes to us hungry to develop and make progress, just like the 10 young men who have moved up from our Under-16s this year. It’s an exciting time for these players as they start this new chapter in their lives as full-time employees of the football club and begin to understand what’s expected of them, taking on board the DNA of Tottenham Hotspur. Now it’s about listening, learning and working as diligently as they possibly can under the circumstances, while we continue to follow the Premier League protocols around returning to training. There’s a really positive mood around the place at the moment and we’re all looking forward to the start of the new season.”

The Evening Standard reported that the transfer fee was £500,000, a fee that the BBC says will help fund Wigan, along with the transfer of Jensen Weir to Brighton, through July after the club went into administration.