Alfie Devine speaks about how Spurs keep him motivated
By Tom Vinall
Tottenham Hotspur youngster Alfie Devine became the clubs youngest ever player, and goalscorer, against Marine, in the FA Cup back in January of 2021. Nearly four years after breaking records, the midfielder is still only 20 years old – and currently enjoying a loan spell in Belgium with KVC Westerlo.
With the regular game time he and fellow loanee Luka Vuskovic are getting (albeit, his loan was not decided by Spurs), the argument for the club loaning players to the continent is ever growing.
Dane Scarlett is struggling for game time for a third consecutive loan, whilst Josh Keeley barely makes the matchday squad for Leyton Orient. Yet on the continent, you have Vuskovic and Devine starting every game. In La Liga, Alejo Veliz starts nearly every game for Espanyol, and Bryan Gil’s performances with Girona have lead to a recall to the Spain national team.
That said, Devine has had two productive EFL loans so far. Perhaps he is just landing on heads each time, when other loanees are landing on tails. Of course, his own performance has certainly helped massively, and he deserves huge credit for that.
In a recent interview, Devine spoke about how the club have kept him motivated during his time in Belgium, telling Het Nieuwsblad (via Sport Witness) “Andy Scoulding [Spurs performance manager] was recently in Westerlo. After the match, we had a long chat. It’s nice that they follow you so closely. That involvement is motivating.
Scoulding is a professional, he has already worked at Rangers, Valencia, Olympiacos and Liverpool, so he knows what he is talking about. If I need something, they [the club] are always there.”
The 20-year old reflected on how he still feels part of the group, despite being out on loan: “At Spurs, I had good conversations with coach Ange Postecoglou. I went on an internship with the first team, and I still feel involved in the group. You never know what the future will bring, but you are so happy to be in the picture.”
The young midfielder is currently playing as one of two central midfielders in a 3421 set up, and is enjoying regular starts. He has a contract at Spurs until 2027, so there is still plenty of time for him to make his mark.