Update: No, Alfie Whiteman is NOT going to MLS; returns to Degerfors on loan

When Tottenham Hotspur released its squad registration lists for the second half of the Premier League season, academy graduate and goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman was not listed. Fresh back from a successful loan to Degerfors in Sweden, it was assumed that he would be loaned during the open transfer window, but that didn’t materialize, and his omission from Spurs’ squad by Antonio Conte meant that Alfie was put in limbo.

But now maybe we have a hint of what will happen to Whiteman. Alfie posted an Instagram story that showed the New York skyline yesterday (below), and there’s a new report from Sweden that suggests that Whiteman’s next stop might just be in MLS.

The report, from Fotball Direkt (via SportWitness) quotes Alfie’s agent that Whiteman is likely to sign with an American football team “in the next few days,” and suggesting that the move would be a loan. The new MLS season is scheduled to begin the weekend of February 26-27.

The photo of the NYC skyline would at first suggest that the club could be one of the MLS franchises in the New York area — NYCFC or New York Red Bulls — but that may not be the case. New York City is a pretty common airline hub for transfers to other parts of the United States, meaning that we really don’t have any idea where Alfie might end up.

In addition, Whiteman’s Tottenham’s contract is set to expire this coming summer, so any particular loan could end up becoming a permanent deal. This move, combined with Alfie’s omission from Spurs’ squad does seem to be a pretty strong suggestion that his future likely likes away from Tottenham Hotspur. We’ll find out for sure in a couple of days, perhaps.

UPDATE: Well, this story was a whole load of nothing. According to Tottenham’s social media, Whitehead is returning to Degerfors for the entire Swedish Allsvenkan season. Sweden’s football calendar begins in April and runs through November, 2022.

In addition, the club is sending fellow academy goalkeeper Kacper Kurylowicz on loan to Potters Bar, a semi-pro English club that plays in the Isthmian Premier Division (Level 7 on the pyramid), and agreed to cancel the contract of academy midfielder Michael Craig, one of the two Craig twins at the club. There were reports that Craig is currently on trial at Southampton.